British Carmaker Marcos Plans U.S. Return in 2006

[BMWDave]

British Carmaker Marcos Plans U.S. Return in 2006
Date Posted 08-24-2005

WARWICK, England ? British sports-car maker Marcos is planning to relaunch sales in America in late 2006 with a two-model lineup of V8 cars.

The company was founded in the 1960s, and is now owned by Canadian entrepreneur Tony Stelliga. Under his ownership, Marcos has developed two all-new cars: the TSO roadster and the new GT2 coupe. The cars have been developed in partnership with Prodrive, the British engineering house behind Subaru's WRC rally team and Ford's performance ST Focus and Fiesta models.

Both cars share the same tubular spaceframe chassis, and a front-mounted 5.7-liter Chevrolet Corvette V8 engine driving the rear wheels. "I'll be importing a TSO rolling chassis to the West Coast at the end of this year for my own transport, and we'll see what kind of reaction it gets," Stelliga told Autoweek magazine. He said he was looking for dealers in Florida, Georgia, New England and Southern California.

What this means to you: British tradition and American muscle is a combination that worked for the Shelby Cobra?could work for Marcos, too.

[Raghavan]

I love it.

[ifcar]

And it will cost...

[giant_mtb]

And it will cost...

...a lot.  

[Raza]

Beautiful.

[BMWDave]

Beautiful.

I agree, the car is gorgeous!

[Raza]

Beautiful.

I agree, the car is gorgeous!

It feels like TVR, a Viper, and an older Maser all put together.  There's a newer car that it resembles, but I can't put my finger on it.

Any more pics of this would-be bad boy?

[BMWDave]

Beautiful.

I agree, the car is gorgeous!

It feels like TVR, a Viper, and an older Maser all put together.  There's a newer car that it resembles, but I can't put my finger on it.

Any more pics of this would-be bad boy?

Perhaps the Shelby GR-1?

[Raza]

Beautiful.

I agree, the car is gorgeous!

It feels like TVR, a Viper, and an older Maser all put together.  There's a newer car that it resembles, but I can't put my finger on it.

Any more pics of this would-be bad boy?

Perhaps the Shelby GR-1?

That's the one.  I knew it resembled something recent.

[BMWDave]

[Raza]

I would have pegged that as a TVR any day.  

[BMWDave]

Beautiful.

I agree, the car is gorgeous!

It feels like TVR, a Viper, and an older Maser all put together.  There's a newer car that it resembles, but I can't put my finger on it.

Any more pics of this would-be bad boy?

Perhaps the Shelby GR-1?

That's the one.  I knew it resembled something recent.

When I saw the thumbnail picture on Edmunds, I also thought it was a Shelby GR-1.

[BMWDave]

From Autoweek

Marcos maps U.S. comeback; Canadian owner wants to import UK sports cars by 2006
JULIAN RENDELL
Posted Date: 8/24/05
Revitalized British sports car maker Marcos is eyeing the United States for a possible introduction in late 2006.

Now owned by Canadian Tony Stelliga, who has businesses in California?s Silicon Valley, Marcos has a new, two-model lineup?the TSO soft-top and GT2 coupe, the latter just revealed. A restyled coupe is already on sale in Australia.

?I?ll be importing a TSO rolling chassis to the West Coast at the end of this year for my own transport, and we?ll see what kind of reaction it gets,? says Stelliga.

He says several specialist dealers are interested in representing Marcos, and he has mapped out a sales network wish-list in New England, Florida, Georgia and Southern California.


The TSO and GT2 are new ground-up designs engineered with the help of Prodrive, the British engineers behind Subaru?s rally effort and Aston Martin?s GT race team.

Both share the same tubular space-frame, front-engine rear-drive chassis and LS6, 5.7-liter Chevrolet Corvette V8.

With a curb weight of just under 2600 pounds and power ranging from 350 hp to 475 hp, performance is strong. In England, prices run between $72,000 and $90,000.

British car magazines have gushed over the TSO?s balanced but driftable handling and plenty of go, although the car?s tight cockpit dimensions might not transfer quite as well to this side of the Atlantic.

[Raza]

Man, it really, really looks like a TVR, even down to the interior.





Well, it doesn't look exactly like a T350, but if you mold all the TVRs together you'd get a car that looks like that.

[BMWDave]

The interior is completely different.

[Raghavan]

TVR interiors are fugly.

[BMWDave]

That might be the coolest color (on the TVR) on any car I have ever seen.

[ifcar]

It's definitely unique. I don't care for it though.