The revolutionary Marcos that’s prettier than a Jaguar E-type

Enzo Ferrari might (allegedly) have described the Jaguar E-type as the most beautiful car in the world – but for my money, a Marcos 1800 GT in the right colour makes the  E look pedestrian.

And 1800 GTs don’t come much better than this spectacular Haze Metallic Blue example on offer with marque specialist Redline Sportscars which has been buying, selling, restoring and upgrading the cars for more than 30 years.

Marcos Engineering was founded in 1959 by Bristol-based engineer Jem Marsh and the celebrated aerodynamicist Frank Costin, whose earlier work at aircraft maker de Havilland inspired him to look to plywood as a material for body tub construction.

The first Marcos model, the GT Xylon, was developed to compete in 750 Motor Club races and was campaigned with impressive success by Marsh, as well as future track stars including  Jackie Stewart, Jackie Oliver and Derek Bell.

The 1800 GT arrived in 1964, combining Marcos’s celebrated plywood chassis and tub construction with the famously robust Volvo B18 engine that powered the Amazon models.

The revolutionary underpinnings were created by gluing together more than 350 individual components made from marine ply to create a complex framework that was both lighter and stiffer than that of conventional, steel-built rivals.

Over the top, Marcos draped the GT’s fabulous glass-fibre bodywork that, while it looked spectacular, was also practical, offering a light and airy cabin, plenty of legroom and capacious luggage space.

The B18 engine might have produced only around 100bhp, but with just 769kg to propel it made the 1800 GT a quick and nimble car with a top speed not far south of 120mph.

The example on offer here is even more lively thanks to having been fitted with a later, 2-litre B20 engine that has been tweaked with a high-compression cylinder head and twin Weber 42 carburettors.

Previously owned for 45 years by a marque enthusiast, the car is said to be well known in Marcos Owners Club circles having attended more than half a dozen national rallies. It might also be among the most head-turning 1800 GTs on the road thanks to its combination of blue paint, stealthy black bumpers and chromed wire wheels.

A fold-back sunroof enhances it grand touring appeal, while the blue leather interior, wood-rimmed steering wheel and engine-turned aluminium sill plates scream ’60s style.

Speaking of wood, the aforementioned boot is a sight to behold being, effectively, a beautifully varnished wooden recess with a hinged base concealing the fuel tank and spare wheel. The engine bay is equally well presented (with more varnished wood) and, as a finishing touch, both flanks behind the forward-opening bonnet carry Adams badges in memory of brothers Dennis and Peter Adams who designed the car.

They also created the Probe 16, the futuristic automotive design exercise that was made in three examples, one of which appeared as Durango 95 in the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange.

It was more far-out than the Marcos – but nowhere near as pretty.

Royal E-type reigned the autobahns 

• Ever been told you have heirs and graces? Perhaps you need to own this 1965 Jaguar E-Type, which was bought new by Prince Michael of Kent. It was delivered to Germany when his royal highness was serving with the 11th Hussars and driven at full whack on autobahns. “It’s in impeccable order,” says Essex-based Marc James. And it’s listed at a rather royal £POA.

  

• Former Ayr United footballer John McTier, who lost an eye at 16 after an unprovoked attack by teenagers, has just been named Best Independent Motor Dealer at the 2025 Scottish Business Awards. With £260,000 compensation, McTier set up Woodville Car sales in Glasgow. The secret of his success? “It comes back to treating other people like you’d like to be treated yourself.”
• Just three years on from his F1 world title, Mario Andretti was the star driver at the misfiring Alfa Romeo. He drove this 1981 Alfa Romeo 179d, in the Dutch GP. Andretti had what Jenks called “a monumental prang” after a suspension breakage at 150mph. It’s now restored and on sale at Hall & Hall in Bourne, £POA.
  
• The UK’s first retailer to feature the new’R Renault corporate identity has opened. Letchworth Renault on Icknield Way now gives a greater emphasis on cars, with discussion tables and, of course, obligatory coffees.
• Coffee, as you know, is outclassed by tea, a fact not lost at South West Nissan in Wellington, Somerset, which has ‘tea’med up with local firm Kingdom to create an exclusive organic brew. “Pop in and have a cuppa,” says the dealer. LG