Marcos TS500

In the flesh - it's looking good!

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 3 June 2003 / Loading comments

The TS500 made its debut at the 2003 MotorExpo in London's Canary Wharf. Despite being in the company of Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin and various other exclusive companies, the Marcos drew much attention.

Traditional British looks and a traditional British V8 make combine to create an exciting prospect that might lift Marcos into a different league. Loosely based on the Rover V8, the Marcos V8 produces 320bhp in standard form but Marcos are already talking to the likes of ACT about performance enhancements. The show car was fitted with various bits of brightwork to smarten its appearance and it also benefited from a carbon fibre intake and plenum courtesy of ACT - likely to become options for buyers.

The car has received many minor updates over its sibling the TS250. A large grille, minor changes to door trim, a excellent new interior, new mirrors and bigger exhausts are the more obvious differences.

The less obvious improvements include revised suspension, new tyres from Bridgestone, a GRP/composite semi-monocoque body, new wheels and a useful options list.

The changes to the car reflect the changes at Marcos. After many years on the sidelines of sportscar production producing very small numbers of cars, Marcos now has a very different - and very professional - outlook on the market.

Jem Marsh - the 'Mar' in Marcos - is still very much associated with the company in his role as Vice Chairman. Running the company now, and funding it is Tony Stelliga. He's a businessman who made his money in Silicon valley and is now heading up the small manufacturer and hoping to turn things around for good.

Also working at the Wiltshire company is Sales and Marketing Director Alan Wallace. Wallace brings great experience, much of it from Noble and has had a large say in the changes on the TS500. He also recognised the need for achieving the vital price breaks on the cars which now see the TS250 (V6) pitching in at under £30K and the new V8 car at a shade under £35K.

To support the new car, Wallace is working with a number of dealers to establish a Marcos network in the UK. Spread across the country five dealers will become agents for Marcos giving it the credibility and more importanly the support structure to look after owners. Negotiations with the first dealer are almost complete.

It's all looking very promising for Marcos. They now have the opportunity to firmly establish themselves with a good car pitched at the right price. Everyone rolling up to Marcos's display at the show was commenting that this car fills the gap left by TVR moving on to straight six engines. The V8 rumble from British sports cars is back - let's hope it's back for good.

Link: www.marcos-eng.com