Marcos Maniacs

Hi all,

Little late with this but.....the visit was fantastic!  I picked 
Mark Saxby up in San Rafael at 9AM and we headed to Alamo.  Arrived 
to find the Mantis parked and ready to go.  Three of the sons were 
there, plus the father(who bought the car in Los Angeles).  

Got to look thru piles of old documents, articles, etc.  Also heard 
stories of 160+mph rides on the L.A. freeways back in the 70's.  The 
father used it as a daily driver for a few years (along with his 
Pantera and Maserati).

After all the pleasantries, Mark Saxby was the first to be offered a 
ride.  The sound is deafening upon start-up.  An unmuffled Buick V-8 
is loud!  Is this legal?  No one seemed to care........

Off they went with Ned (a son) driving.  After a bit they returned.  
Mark was close to speechless but did manage to say it was 
surprrisingly comfortable.  Can't print what else he said!  Mark 
Petrinovich was next and the result was just about the same except 
he wore this grin that is probably still on his face!

My turn....... Off we went to the freeway.  Typical Saturday 
afternoon with normal traffic (except for us).  The acceleration was 
unreal.  Don't think I've "merged" with traffic quite like that in 
my life.  Shortly I was wondering about my life insurance policy and 
what the beneficiaries would be doing with the money.  Oh hell, just 
relax and enjoy.....what better way to go!  Don't know the speed 
(thank God) we were going but into the triple digits a ways.  And 
brakes????   Plenty!!  Inboard discs all around stopped us right 
before my heart reached my throat.  Scary.  Back to the house and 
into my bag for a fresh set of underwear.  Just babbling at this 
point but loving every minute of it.  Did I mention that the brake 
fluid might have been 30 years old??  Thought crossed MY mind!

The family was wonderful and provided us with hours of stories.  
Many neighbors got rides also as they converged on the house when 
the Mantis was fired up.  Good time had by all.

I'll let Mark Saxby relate his particularly interesting experience 
himself.  Don't want to steal his thunder.  I think he went to the 
Grand Canyon for a visit but even the grandeur of that spectacular 
spot will be hard pressed to overcome the Mantis visit.  

The sons, Ned in particlar, plan on restoring the car and possibly 
vintage racing it.  Hope it happens.  Everything is there for it to 
be licensed in California.

An unforgettable day!  Returned home minus my overdrive but that's 
another story for another day.

I put 4 pics of the visit in the "photos" section.  I took another 
60 pics and made a CD for Mark to take home and put on his site.  
Will also send a CD to Jeff.

By the way, the family was very impressed with all the Marcos sites 
(especially Dave McGill's site).  They didn't realize that the 
Marcos has such a following.

Have a happy holiday!

Don Lattimer
#3m5759
Willits, CA