Established 1972

Marcos Spirit 220

Author Roger Young

Local man, Tony Brown, of Pembroke Dock, is preparing a new car which he is expecting to hit the road in August. The car is called a Marcos, well-known British marque which built its first cars in Wales in 1959. The full name of the version shown here will be the Marcos Spirit 220.

The new car has been designed for use on either the road or track, depending on the owner’s needs. The prototype is up and running, and has already raised considerable interest when Tony took it to the Llandow circuit, near Bridgend, for testing.

The car is an entirely local effort, with the body being the work of Tony’s brother, Malcolm, to whom Tony is extremely grateful.

He is also grateful for the help received from Bartlett Engineering, Central Motor Parts, Syncro Motor Factors, G. F. Beck Motorsport, Pier Engineering, Solar Tint, Pembrokeshire College Motorsport, and Mr. Jem Marsh, one of the founders of the Marcos brand and a technical advisor on the project.

The car’s chassis is Tony’s own design, with engine and mechanical parts from Ford, helping to make the car easy to maintain and service.

The current car is powered by a powerful 2.5l Ford engine, which when combined with the car’s light weight, gives it supercar-rivalling pace on the circuit, while ensuring that the engine is suitable for road use. In the future, other engine options will be available, including an even more powerful 3.7l Ford engine from the USA.

Tony has worked in many forms of motorsport, including F1, but has always wanted to design, develop and build his own vehicle. He got the chance to buy the Marcos name, and decided to use it for his new vehicle.

“I was delighted when I realised I could use this legendary British name for my car,” he said. “With Mr. Jem Marsh advising me, using his knowledge in car manufacturing, we have built the first Marcos in Wales since 1959. The British are the best in the world at making these small volumes, highly desirable performance cars, and I believe my new Marcos is true to this heritage, and in the spirit of the marque itself. Now we can proudly say ‘Made in Pembrokeshire’. All content © of Tenby Observer unless stated otherwise.