You cannot say that sports car buyers had few options in the late sixties.  It seems that sports cars were being imported to the United States from all over the globe.  The British, who introduced their version of the concept to Americans during World War II, offered a cornucopia of choices ranging from the commonly seen MG MGB to lesser-known vehicles like the Marcos.  Wait.  What is a Marcos?  Well, this 1969 Marcos 1600 GT for sale on Craigslist in La Habra Heights, California is one of the few surviving examples of this obscure, but innovative manufacturer that used plywood to form its chassis.  Yes, I said plywood.  Needing a full restoration, this distinctive sports car is being offered to serious parties for an asking price of $5,500.  Are you ready to restore one of the rarest sports cars ever built?  Thanks to Zappenduster for locating this sleek barn find!

Marcos Engineering Limited was one of the many small British sportscar makers that dotted the landscape of the mother country in the sixties.  Racing was in its glory years, and everyone had a better idea of how to go about it.  With the Marcos brand, that innovative idea was the use of plywood to form the chassis of the car.  They enlisted the assistance of Frank Hostin to use the strong, lightweight material in the car to gain an edge over the competition.  Hostin, who was on the design team for the de Havilland Mosquito during World War II, came up with a plywood chassis that required the gluing together of an astounding 386 individual pieces.  The lessons of using plywood as a stressed component in the design of a high-performance aircraft like the Mosquito were believed to also translate to the stress a racing chassis deals with.  They started by producing a car called the Xylon, which proved the concept.  From there, the company made two more versions of the Xylon in a period that stretched from 1959 through 1963 and resulted in roughly 40 cars being produced.

After achieving some racing success with their initial efforts, the company developed the Marcos 1800 GT.  Debuting in 1964, this low-slung sports car had a fiberglass body and a plywood chassis.  It was powered by Volvo’s B18 einline-four cylinder engine from the P1800 and backed up by a four-speed manual gearbox with overdrive and a De Dion rear axle.  Nearly all of these cars were sold to customers in kit form and they quickly became known as the “Flying Splinter.”  In contrast to most British sports cars of the time, the Marcos was very low to the ground.  This required the driver to practically lay down in the cockpit.  The seat didn’t move, so the pedals had an adjustment that would bring them to the driver’s feet.  The car went through a series of engine options ranging from the reliable Volvo powerplant to a 1,500 cc Ford Kent inline-four, a Lawrencetune 1,650 cc version of the same engine, and a 1,600 cc Ford Crossflow four-cylinder introduced in the latter half of 1967 proved to be the most popular version.  Through fits and starts, the Marcos name lived on until 2007.  Eventually, the plywood chassis gave way to a more conventional steel framework.

The car you see here is a 1969 Marcos 1600 that found its way across both the Atlantic and the North American continent to land in an area southeast of Los Angeles, California.  The seller seems to be an expert and a devoted fan of the Marcos marque and speaks intelligently in the ad about the car.  According to the seller, the car has just 47,000 original miles and has been out of commission for 30 years.  The reason for parking it was that the distributor gear broke, which damaged the camshaft on the original Ford powerplant.  To remedy the situation, a Ford Cortina 1,600 cc engine with accessories will come with the car.

As for the rest of the car, the seller shares that it came with wire wheels and an original factory-installed Wabasto sunroof.  The fiberglass body has cracks in it and the car will need a new rear window.  By the way it has fogged up, it was likely formed out of Lexan.  This can be replaced by an outfit that repairs boat windshields, as they are sometimes made of the same material and can be bent if you have the right tools to do so.  The rare windshield, however, is in good condition, and the dash, instruments, and interior are described as “okay.”  Amazingly the plywood chassis is also in good condition after all these years.  This is rather remarkable, even for a car that has lived in a rather dry climate.  The glue in plywood will deteriorate over time, and it is not unusual for a piece of plywood to exhibit delamination in a climate-controlled environment after many years.

This is one of those sales where the seller seems to want the car to go to someone who knows what a Marcos is and will restore the car to its former glory.  They state in the ad that it is “Best to call and speak with me directly if serious.”  They also state that “This is a project and not a buff and fluff flipper. Requires serious hobbyist who knows the Marcos marque and has restoration skills.”  Hopefully, the right person is out there to purchase and restore this highly unusual car.  It has a story to tell about a time when racing was everything and folks weren’t afraid to apply unusual solutions when solving problems.

Have you ever seen a Marcos, or even heard of the marque?  What are your thoughts on using plywood for the chassis?  Please share your memories and thoughts in the comments.