A revival of the famous brand features twin strands as two Marcos companies plan new models
A classic British brand looks set for a comeback, with the news that Marcos Cars has a new CEO and is planning to launch a new F1-inspired supercar in November, following on from its past masters such as the GT, Mini Marcos, Mantula and LM models.
Founded in 1959 in North Wales by racing driver Jem Marsh and aeronautical engineer Frank Costin, Marcos Cars produced some iconic models but struggled with financial issues and went bankrupt in 2000. Canadian entrepreneur Tony Stelliga then formed Marcos Engineering with Marsh and revived production in 2002. Road cars were built in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, with the company employing several ex-TVR engineers. Sadly, it was short-lived, as in 2007 Marcos Engineering Ltd went into administration.
In 2010, ex-F1 and IndyCar engineer Tony Brown acquired Marcos Cars, Marcos Engineering, and the brand. With support from Jem Marsh, former designer Dennis Adams, and the Marcos Owners’ Club, he developed the Spirit 220 prototype, which was first revealed in 2013 and marked a new direction for the brand by being mid-engined. Under this regime, the company has been operating from Pembrokeshire in South Wales. Two years ago, Brown announced he was seeking investment to move things forward.
Now, Marcos has revealed that it has secured new investment and has ambitious plans involving top automotive names. As part of this, it has partnered with British businessman William Storey as its new CEO – a move revealed by Storey on social media on 23 May.
Past masters include the Mantara, shown here, and the Mini Marcos
Storey is something of a controversial figure, best known as the CEO of beverage brand Rich Energy, with information about the company and the drink itself appearing to be very limited, leading to speculation over its legitimacy. In 2019, Rich Energy became title sponsor of the Haas F1 team, but the relationship became strained as the season progressed. There was also an off-track copyright court case between Rich Energy and British company Whyte Bikes – the cycling company took Storey to court for copyright infringement regarding the company logo, with Rich Energy losing the case.
Rich Energy’s relationship with Haas ended in September 2019, before the end of the season, and there has been much online speculation as to whether any sponsorship money was ever paid. However, Rich Energy has since appeared as a sponsor in British Superbikes – notably as the headline sponsor of OMG Yamaha during the 2022 season, when the team’s rider, Bradley Ray, won the title – and the British Touring Car Championship. Elsewhere, Storey has been involved in bids to buy Sunderland and Reading football clubs, ultimately without success.
Taking to LinkedIn, Storey said: “I am absolutely delighted to become the new CEO of British automotive company Marcos Cars. Marcos has an extraordinary motorsport heritage and has built some iconic sports cars over the years, including the incredible Mantis XP and Marcos Mantara. Co-founder Frank Costin designed the first-ever Formula One World Championship-winning chassis and pioneered aeronautical engineering in car design.
“We are launching our incredible new F1-inspired supercar in November, and it will be designed, owned and built in Britain under engineering director Tony Brown.”
According to marcoscars.com, the company’s team includes elite British engineers with backgrounds at Rolls-Royce and Bentley, ex-F1 test drivers, the MarketGenie media team, and industrialist Anthony Barrow. Marcos also maintains key relationships with Burton Performance, Cosworth, Pirelli, and Collins Performance Engineering.
Whether we will see a new Marcos in 2025 remains to be seen, but we’ll be watching with interest.
More Marcos revivals
Shortly after the announcement above, Wiltshire-based Marcos Motor Company – which points out that it owns the original assets of the Marcos brand – announced that it was also planning a revival of the Marcos marque, with its website detailing three new projects.
Marcos Motor Company is part of Automotive Vision, which also owns Marcos Engineering Ltd, Marcos Sales Ltd and Marcos Heritage Spares Ltd. It was this latter company, incorporated in 1999, which under the ownership of former Marcos manager Rory MacMath acquired the moulds tooling and jigs of the Marcos company from the administrators in 2000 as well as the drawings and build records of individual cars and the brand rights of the original Marcos products including the logo mark.
Details of the new Marcos Motor Company cars are limited at present, but the company reckons they have already reached running prototype stage. Project number one is described as being “a faithful reimagining of a much-loved Marcos model with a recognisable silhouette but using a contemporary platform and drivetrain,” which we reckon suggests the long-nosed, front-engined ’60s style.
The second project is described as being an all-new vehicle, offering potential for both road and race. Although it will “owe nothing to legacy Marcos models,” it promises to employ the Marcos brand’s traditional philosophy of light weight and simplicity.
The third project covers ‘continuation’ cars, building on the firm’s ownership of the original moulds and tooling which it points out would allow it to produce faithful recreations of virtually any model from the marque’s 65-year history.
“Marcos is a much-loved British sports car brand,” says Automotive Vision chairman Howard Nash. “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.
Updated 27-6-25
Paul Wager
