Peter Lyon
June 27, 2025
A well-known British sports car brand, thought to be extinct, has just been resurrected. Marcos Motor Company Ltd, which owns the original assets of the iconic Marcos brand, dating back to 1959, has announced plans for new projects. These involve development programmes and other complementary projects which will see the first new Marcos cars for around 20 years. The original name derives from the surnames of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.
We haven’t heard anything from the brand since the demise of Marcos Engineering Limited back in 2007. Now, three separate vehicle programmes are currently being evaluated, with physical prototypes already in development. Together, they span classic Marcos models and all-new cars, for both road and track.
Project #1 is a reimagining of a much-loved Marcos model with a recognisable silhouette but a contemporary platform and drivetrain. It’s being used to test new in-house capabilities but is being developed for possible track use. The first evolution of the prototype has already run.
Project #2 is an all-new vehicle with the potential for both road and track. A complete crash-tested and homologated rolling chassis has been engineered and built, and is undergoing further evaluation. The car will owe nothing to legacy Marcos models but will honour the brand ethos of light weight, simplicity and seat-of-the-pants handling.
Project #3 is for continuation cars. With ownership of the original body moulds, manufacturing tooling and jigs for almost every Marcos model produced since the company’s inception over 65 years ago, Marcos Motor Company can produce faithful contemporary versions. And with ownership of the manufacturing and brand rights, any continuation car will be authentically and officially Marcos, down to the iconic logo marque.
Marcos Motor Company will continue to provide its Marcos Heritage Spares genuine parts, servicing, maintenance and repairs offering to existing customers. This will benefit from the wider expertise and facilities of the Marcos Motor Company group of businesses. Marcos will develop its own performance upgrades, including tuning from the group’s existing engine specialist unit.
“Marcos is a much-loved British sports car brand,” says owner and chairman Howard Nash. “It has a wonderful history but also an ethos of simplicity for raw, driver-focused handling. It’s an analogue experience you can’t get from large car manufacturers and supercar brands, and one which I think enthusiasts hanker after today.
“We want to honour that original ethos while being forward-looking too, giving Marcos a new, younger audience, as well as bringing the brand back for those who grew up with it.”
Nash is a businessman with an automotive and motorsport engineering background. He bought Marcos in 2022, having been a director of the business since 2021. He is chairman of Automotive Vision, which Marcos Motor Company sits under, along with historic entities Marcos Engineering Ltd, Marcos Sales Ltd and Marcos Heritage Spares Ltd – the one-stop shop for existing owners which has traded continuously for over 25 years. In addition the group contains a century-old automotive business currently focused on body and paint, and a long-established engine restoration and tuning business.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
I am so glad to see a British icon making a comeback—and no doubt with petrol engines and an analogue feel. Brilliant! If you’re unfamiliar with the Marcos brand, then kindly be informed that its early cars were raced by future F1 world champion Jackie Stewart and five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell. It’s also fascinating to know that the very sexy-looking Marcos GT was bought by 1960s and 1970s pop stars including Rod Stewart and Marmalade. More recently, celebrity car collector Jay Leno drove the GT in his Jay Leno’s Garage series, calling it “one of the prettiest and most unusual sports cars of all time.”
