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More historical tidbits - a bit long

More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-22 by Dan Orie

Hello All;
  I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from my
build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available about
our cars - I hope it's not boring.

Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized dealer
of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer & fall
of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They were
almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs sent
them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo engines
were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford somehow?

My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at the
time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at the
time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar Kraft
was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into the
'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred to
the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my speculation
that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the USA
regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step to
an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.

There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft in
charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him and
a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some thought it
was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil surging'
which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed to
be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new engine
was ordered for my car.

Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem) was
trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and east
regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest in
selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just sitting
on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports and by
Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions tests.

In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my Marcos
before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of officially
importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those lines.
The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.

Dano
Essex V6 3M/5463

RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-22 by David Skora

Hello Dan
Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left hand drive?
My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were left hand
drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
Thanks Dave
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> To:	'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> Hello All;
>   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from
> my
> build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
> it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available
> about
> our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> 
> Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized
> dealer
> of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer &
> fall
> of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
> pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They were
> almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs sent
> them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo engines
> were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford somehow?
> 
> My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at the
> time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at
> the
> time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar Kraft
> was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into the
> 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred
> to
> the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my speculation
> that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the USA
> regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step to
> an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> 
> There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft
> in
> charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him
> and
> a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
> times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some thought
> it
> was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> surging'
> which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
> Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed
> to
> be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new
> engine
> was ordered for my car.
> 
> Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem)
> was
> trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and
> east
> regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest
> in
> selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
> built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
> that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just
> sitting
> on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports and
> by
> Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions tests.
> 
> In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my Marcos
> before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> officially
> importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those
> lines.
> The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
> there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> 
> Dano
> Essex V6 3M/5463
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
>

RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-22 by Dan Orie

Hello Dave,
   Mine is LHD. I don't have any idea about the rest of the cars, and I'm
really curious myself. All of the cars that were mentioned at the dealer in
LA and a couple of other locations in the history were also LHD. Who knows
what might have been had my car been trouble-free on arrival...
Dano
Show quoted textHide quoted text
 -----Original Message-----
From: 	David Skora [mailto:David@...] 
Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:19 AM
To:	MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject:	RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

Hello Dan
Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left hand drive?
My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were left hand
drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
Thanks Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> To:	'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> Hello All;
>   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from
> my
> build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
> it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available
> about
> our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> 
> Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized
> dealer
> of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer &
> fall
> of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
> pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They were
> almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs sent
> them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo engines
> were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford somehow?
> 
> My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at the
> time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at
> the
> time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar Kraft
> was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into the
> 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred
> to
> the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my speculation
> that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the USA
> regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step to
> an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> 
> There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft
> in
> charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him
> and
> a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
> times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some thought
> it
> was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> surging'
> which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
> Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed
> to
> be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new
> engine
> was ordered for my car.
> 
> Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem)
> was
> trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and
> east
> regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest
> in
> selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
> built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
> that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just
> sitting
> on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports and
> by
> Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions tests.
> 
> In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my Marcos
> before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> officially
> importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those
> lines.
> The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
> there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> 
> Dano
> Essex V6 3M/5463
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> 


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-22 by pauldransfield@iname.com

Dave,

I can tell you from first hand experience that there were more RHD Volvo
cars than LHD ones, mine included, out of the 120 or so that were built. I'm
also sure that most of the Triumphs were RHD as well. I brought my 3 litre
Volvo to Canada from England when I emigrated in 1975 and converted it to
LHD in 1980 because of safety and convenience concerns. Ever try reaching
for an underground parking ticket from a RHD position. It's hard enough from
the left side. And turning left was always a problem because if oncoming
traffic was also turning, ones view was blocked.

Regards,

Paul Dransfield
3 litre Volvo
Show quoted textHide quoted text
-----Original Message-----
From: David Skora [mailto:David@...]
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:19 AM
To: MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long


Hello Dan
Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left hand drive?
My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were left hand
drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
Thanks Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> To:	'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> Hello All;
>   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from
> my
> build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
> it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available
> about
> our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> 
> Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized
> dealer
> of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer &
> fall
> of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
> pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They were
> almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs sent
> them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo engines
> were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford somehow?
> 
> My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at the
> time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at
> the
> time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar Kraft
> was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into the
> 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred
> to
> the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my speculation
> that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the USA
> regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step to
> an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> 
> There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft
> in
> charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him
> and
> a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
> times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some thought
> it
> was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> surging'
> which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
> Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed
> to
> be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new
> engine
> was ordered for my car.
> 
> Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem)
> was
> trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and
> east
> regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest
> in
> selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
> built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
> that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just
> sitting
> on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports and
> by
> Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions tests.
> 
> In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my Marcos
> before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> officially
> importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those
> lines.
> The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
> there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> 
> Dano
> Essex V6 3M/5463
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> 


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-22 by David Skora

Thanks Paul
I enjoyed your personal observation about your RHD. I guess my car is pretty
boring. No parts ever fell off, no tell tale smoke escaped from any wiring,
I never had to use the fire extinguisher. The only unexpected incident was
when the starter failed. Other than that, its been less trouble than my XJ6.
Which has had parts fall off, driveshafts and brakes fail while driving,
complete electrical failure under the dash (that explained the CLOUDS of
smoke pouring out the vents), and one time the engine backfires so hard, it
blew the air cleaner apart! 
Keeping the faith
Dave (5006)
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	pauldransfield@... [SMTP:pauldransfield@...]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 8:33 AM
> To:	MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject:	RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> Dave,
> 
> I can tell you from first hand experience that there were more RHD Volvo
> cars than LHD ones, mine included, out of the 120 or so that were built.
> I'm
> also sure that most of the Triumphs were RHD as well. I brought my 3 litre
> Volvo to Canada from England when I emigrated in 1975 and converted it to
> LHD in 1980 because of safety and convenience concerns. Ever try reaching
> for an underground parking ticket from a RHD position. It's hard enough
> from
> the left side. And turning left was always a problem because if oncoming
> traffic was also turning, ones view was blocked.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Paul Dransfield
> 3 litre Volvo
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Skora [mailto:David@...]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:19 AM
> To: MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> 
> Hello Dan
> Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
> currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left hand
> drive?
> My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were left hand
> drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
> Thanks Dave
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> > Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> > To:	'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> > 
> > Hello All;
> >   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from
> > my
> > build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
> > it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available
> > about
> > our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> > 
> > Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized
> > dealer
> > of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer &
> > fall
> > of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
> > pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They
> were
> > almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs
> sent
> > them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo
> engines
> > were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford
> somehow?
> > 
> > My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at
> the
> > time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at
> > the
> > time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar
> Kraft
> > was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into
> the
> > 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred
> > to
> > the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my
> speculation
> > that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the
> USA
> > regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step
> to
> > an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> > 
> > There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft
> > in
> > charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him
> > and
> > a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
> > times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some
> thought
> > it
> > was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> > surging'
> > which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
> > Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed
> > to
> > be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new
> > engine
> > was ordered for my car.
> > 
> > Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem)
> > was
> > trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and
> > east
> > regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest
> > in
> > selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
> > built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
> > that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just
> > sitting
> > on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports
> and
> > by
> > Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions
> tests.
> > 
> > In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my
> Marcos
> > before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> > experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> > officially
> > importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those
> > lines.
> > The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
> > there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> > 
> > Dano
> > Essex V6 3M/5463
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> > 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
>

RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-22 by David Skora

Dano
Thanks for your reply
Dave
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 8:32 AM
> To:	'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject:	RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> Hello Dave,
>    Mine is LHD. I don't have any idea about the rest of the cars, and I'm
> really curious myself. All of the cars that were mentioned at the dealer
> in
> LA and a couple of other locations in the history were also LHD. Who knows
> what might have been had my car been trouble-free on arrival...
> Dano
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	David Skora [mailto:David@...] 
> Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:19 AM
> To:	MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject:	RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> Hello Dan
> Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
> currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left hand
> drive?
> My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were left hand
> drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
> Thanks Dave
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> > Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> > To:	'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> > 
> > Hello All;
> >   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from
> > my
> > build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
> > it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available
> > about
> > our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> > 
> > Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized
> > dealer
> > of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer &
> > fall
> > of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
> > pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They
> were
> > almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs
> sent
> > them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo
> engines
> > were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford
> somehow?
> > 
> > My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at
> the
> > time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at
> > the
> > time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar
> Kraft
> > was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into
> the
> > 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred
> > to
> > the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my
> speculation
> > that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the
> USA
> > regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step
> to
> > an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> > 
> > There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft
> > in
> > charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him
> > and
> > a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
> > times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some
> thought
> > it
> > was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> > surging'
> > which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
> > Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed
> > to
> > be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new
> > engine
> > was ordered for my car.
> > 
> > Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem)
> > was
> > trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and
> > east
> > regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest
> > in
> > selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
> > built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
> > that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just
> > sitting
> > on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports
> and
> > by
> > Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions
> tests.
> > 
> > In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my
> Marcos
> > before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> > experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> > officially
> > importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those
> > lines.
> > The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
> > there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> > 
> > Dano
> > Essex V6 3M/5463
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> > 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
>

Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-23 by mark_saxby

I don't know how many Marcos were made LHD originally. Presumably all 
those bound for the states (mainly Volvo 3 litres) would have been, 
but it's very simple to convert a Marcos from LHD to RHD and vice 
versa (the dash and footwells are symetrical), so there's no 
guarantee that a Marcos that is now LHD started that way.

I'd guess that all the Triumph cars were, originally, RHD as these 
were built by Rob Walker cars to use up parts and sold through Rob 
Walker dealerships in the UK.

In one of the Brooklands books there's a picture (unless my memory is 
going completely) of an early-ish 1600 with LHD in London, so they 
weren't unheard of on the early models, although it's not clear where 
cars were going. 

In the UK, at least, the Marcos was a VERY trendy car in the 60s with 
many rock stars and TV personalities owning them The Walker Brothers 
had two, Rod Stewart (allegedly) went solo to pay for his and John 
Noakes (British TV presenter - Blue Peter for anyone with memories of 
British Children's TV :^)) had one. Therefore it's not unlikely that 
a number were bought by European celebrities and built in LHD.

END_OF_RAMBLE.

Mark

PS My car's currently with Alan Fereday Cars being refurbished ready 
for a return to the road in the Spring (I hope :^))

--- In MarcosManiacs@y..., David Skora <David@a...> wrote:
> Hello Dan
> Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
> currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left 
hand drive?
> My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were 
left hand
> drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
> Thanks Dave
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@s...]
> > Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> > To:	'MarcosManiacs@y...'
> > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> > 
> > Hello All;
> >   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the 
documents from
> > my
> > build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common 
knowledge, but
> > it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information 
available
> > about
> > our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> > 
> > Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first 
authorized
> > dealer
> > of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time 
(summer &
> > fall
> > of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. 
They
> > pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. 
They were
> > almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before 
customs sent
> > them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo 
engines
> > were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford 
somehow?
> > 
> > My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of 
Ford at the
> > time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, 
who at
> > the
> > time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. 
Kar Kraft
> > was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs 
into the
> > 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project 
referred
> > to
> > the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my 
speculation
> > that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with 
the USA
> > regulations at the time could have been an informal test and 
first step to
> > an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> > 
> > There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from 
Kar Kraft
> > in
> > charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence 
between him
> > and
> > a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost 
comical at
> > times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some 
thought
> > it
> > was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> > surging'
> > which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all 
of the
> > Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were 
claimed
> > to
> > be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a 
new
> > engine
> > was ordered for my car.
> > 
> > Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is 
was Jem)
> > was
> > trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the 
central and
> > east
> > regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any 
interest
> > in
> > selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory 
was being
> > built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft 
claimed
> > that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public 
just
> > sitting
> > on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige 
imports and
> > by
> > Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the 
emissions tests.
> > 
> > In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive 
my Marcos
> > before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> > experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> > officially
> > importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along 
those
> > lines.
> > The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars 
indicates that
> > there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> > 
> > Dano
> > Essex V6 3M/5463
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@y...
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> >

RE: [MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-23 by David Skora

Hello Mark
Thanks for your response. I have converted a coupe of MGB and Triumphs
myself. If a car has been converted, I usually find brake lines and fittings
have been replaced. Also, tell-tale holes and mountings for the original
hardware are hard to conceal. The original steering column mount holes would
have to be filled. Also on a marcos, I noticed that the glove box
compartment is unique to the right side to make room for the wiper motor.
Plus on a early Marcos, would the hand brake be repositioned?
Respectfully
David Skora (5006)
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	mark_saxby [SMTP:Mark.Saxby@...]
> Sent:	Wednesday, January 23, 2002 1:41 AM
> To:	MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> 
> I don't know how many Marcos were made LHD originally. Presumably all 
> those bound for the states (mainly Volvo 3 litres) would have been, 
> but it's very simple to convert a Marcos from LHD to RHD and vice 
> versa (the dash and footwells are symetrical), so there's no 
> guarantee that a Marcos that is now LHD started that way.
> 
> I'd guess that all the Triumph cars were, originally, RHD as these 
> were built by Rob Walker cars to use up parts and sold through Rob 
> Walker dealerships in the UK.
> 
> In one of the Brooklands books there's a picture (unless my memory is 
> going completely) of an early-ish 1600 with LHD in London, so they 
> weren't unheard of on the early models, although it's not clear where 
> cars were going. 
> 
> In the UK, at least, the Marcos was a VERY trendy car in the 60s with 
> many rock stars and TV personalities owning them The Walker Brothers 
> had two, Rod Stewart (allegedly) went solo to pay for his and John 
> Noakes (British TV presenter - Blue Peter for anyone with memories of 
> British Children's TV :^)) had one. Therefore it's not unlikely that 
> a number were bought by European celebrities and built in LHD.
> 
> END_OF_RAMBLE.
> 
> Mark
> 
> PS My car's currently with Alan Fereday Cars being refurbished ready 
> for a return to the road in the Spring (I hope :^))
> 
> --- In MarcosManiacs@y..., David Skora <David@a...> wrote:
> > Hello Dan
> > Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
> > currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left 
> hand drive?
> > My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were 
> left hand
> > drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
> > Thanks Dave
> > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@s...]
> > > Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> > > To:	'MarcosManiacs@y...'
> > > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
> > > 
> > > Hello All;
> > >   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the 
> documents from
> > > my
> > > build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common 
> knowledge, but
> > > it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information 
> available
> > > about
> > > our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> > > 
> > > Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first 
> authorized
> > > dealer
> > > of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time 
> (summer &
> > > fall
> > > of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. 
> They
> > > pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. 
> They were
> > > almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before 
> customs sent
> > > them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo 
> engines
> > > were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford 
> somehow?
> > > 
> > > My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of 
> Ford at the
> > > time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, 
> who at
> > > the
> > > time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. 
> Kar Kraft
> > > was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs 
> into the
> > > 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project 
> referred
> > > to
> > > the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my 
> speculation
> > > that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with 
> the USA
> > > regulations at the time could have been an informal test and 
> first step to
> > > an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> > > 
> > > There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from 
> Kar Kraft
> > > in
> > > charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence 
> between him
> > > and
> > > a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost 
> comical at
> > > times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some 
> thought
> > > it
> > > was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> > > surging'
> > > which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all 
> of the
> > > Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were 
> claimed
> > > to
> > > be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a 
> new
> > > engine
> > > was ordered for my car.
> > > 
> > > Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is 
> was Jem)
> > > was
> > > trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the 
> central and
> > > east
> > > regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any 
> interest
> > > in
> > > selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory 
> was being
> > > built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft 
> claimed
> > > that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public 
> just
> > > sitting
> > > on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige 
> imports and
> > > by
> > > Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the 
> emissions tests.
> > > 
> > > In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive 
> my Marcos
> > > before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> > > experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> > > officially
> > > importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along 
> those
> > > lines.
> > > The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars 
> indicates that
> > > there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> > > 
> > > Dano
> > > Essex V6 3M/5463
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@y...
> > > 
> > >  
> > > 
> > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> > >
> 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
>

RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-23 by Ronald McLeod

Paul . . .
As you know, I had my Mantis built at the factory in LHD configuration. I drove it in England for a year before bringing it to Canada. My complaints echo yours - there were some disadvantages to trying to drive a LHD vehicle on the "wrong" side of the road. However, the one great compensation was to see the double-takes by oncoming drivers when they saw my passenger (sitting in what they thought and expected was the driver's seat) calmly reading the newspaper as the Mantis tooled down the road at high speed!

Regards . . . Ron McLeod
1970 Marcos Mantis P8/5858

-----Original Message-----
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: pauldransfield@... [mailto:pauldransfield@...]
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:33 AM
To: MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long

Dave,

I can tell you from first hand experience that there were more RHD Volvo
cars than LHD ones, mine included, out of the 120 or so that were built. I'm
also sure that most of the Triumphs were RHD as well. I brought my 3 litre
Volvo to Canada from England when I emigrated in 1975 and converted it to
LHD in 1980 because of safety and convenience concerns. Ever try reaching
for an underground parking ticket from a RHD position. It's hard enough from
the left side. And turning left was always a problem because if oncoming
traffic was also turning, ones view was blocked.

Regards,

Paul Dransfield
3 litre Volvo

-----Original Message-----
From: David Skora [mailto:David@...]
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 11:19 AM
To: MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long


Hello Dan
Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than what is
currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car left hand drive?
My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were left hand
drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
Thanks Dave

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@...]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> To: 'MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com'
> Subject: [MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a bit long
>
> Hello All;
> I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents from
> my
> build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common knowledge, but
> it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information available
> about
> our cars - I hope it's not boring.
>
> Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first authorized
> dealer
> of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time (summer &
> fall
> of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. They
> pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. They were
> almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before customs sent
> them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo engines
> were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford somehow?
>
> My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford at the
> time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, who at
> the
> time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar Kraft
> was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs into the
> 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project referred
> to
> the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my speculation
> that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with the USA
> regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first step to
> an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
>
> There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar Kraft
> in
> charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between him
> and
> a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost comical at
> times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some thought
> it
> was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil
> surging'
> which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all of the
> Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were claimed
> to
> be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a new
> engine
> was ordered for my car.
>
> Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was Jem)
> was
> trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central and
> east
> regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any interest
> in
> selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was being
> built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft claimed
> that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public just
> sitting
> on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige imports and
> by
> Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions tests.
>
> In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my Marcos
> before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of
> officially
> importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along those
> lines.
> The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates that
> there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
>
> Dano
> Essex V6 3M/5463
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>


To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/



To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.

Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-28 by mark_saxby

David,

You are correct that there may well be clues when a Marcos is 
converted from LHD to RHD (or vice versa), but it's an easier job 
than most mass produced cars and as the dash is wooden, filling, etc 
is pretty simple as would be cutting and pasting (:^)) the whole 
thing left to right (details like the glove box, etc notwithstanding).

You're also right, of course, that the handbrake would need to be 
relocated (unless you're REALLY friendly with your passengers and 
have long, very flexible arms! :^)).

Cheers,

Mark

--- In MarcosManiacs@y..., David Skora <David@a...> wrote:
> Hello Mark
> Thanks for your response. I have converted a coupe of MGB and 
Triumphs
> myself. If a car has been converted, I usually find brake lines and 
fittings
> have been replaced. Also, tell-tale holes and mountings for the 
original
> hardware are hard to conceal. The original steering column mount 
holes would
> have to be filled. Also on a marcos, I noticed that the glove box
> compartment is unique to the right side to make room for the wiper 
motor.
> Plus on a early Marcos, would the hand brake be repositioned?
> Respectfully
> David Skora (5006)
> 
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	mark_saxby [SMTP:Mark.Saxby@W...]
> > Sent:	Wednesday, January 23, 2002 1:41 AM
> > To:	MarcosManiacs@y...
> > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit 
long
> > 
> > 
> > I don't know how many Marcos were made LHD originally. Presumably 
all 
> > those bound for the states (mainly Volvo 3 litres) would have 
been, 
> > but it's very simple to convert a Marcos from LHD to RHD and vice 
> > versa (the dash and footwells are symetrical), so there's no 
> > guarantee that a Marcos that is now LHD started that way.
> > 
> > I'd guess that all the Triumph cars were, originally, RHD as 
these 
> > were built by Rob Walker cars to use up parts and sold through 
Rob 
> > Walker dealerships in the UK.
> > 
> > In one of the Brooklands books there's a picture (unless my 
memory is 
> > going completely) of an early-ish 1600 with LHD in London, so 
they 
> > weren't unheard of on the early models, although it's not clear 
where 
> > cars were going. 
> > 
> > In the UK, at least, the Marcos was a VERY trendy car in the 60s 
with 
> > many rock stars and TV personalities owning them The Walker 
Brothers 
> > had two, Rod Stewart (allegedly) went solo to pay for his and 
John 
> > Noakes (British TV presenter - Blue Peter for anyone with 
memories of 
> > British Children's TV :^)) had one. Therefore it's not unlikely 
that 
> > a number were bought by European celebrities and built in LHD.
> > 
> > END_OF_RAMBLE.
> > 
> > Mark
> > 
> > PS My car's currently with Alan Fereday Cars being refurbished 
ready 
> > for a return to the road in the Spring (I hope :^))
> > 
> > --- In MarcosManiacs@y..., David Skora <David@a...> wrote:
> > > Hello Dan
> > > Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than 
what is
> > > currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car 
left 
> > hand drive?
> > > My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were 
> > left hand
> > > drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
> > > Thanks Dave
> > > 
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@s...]
> > > > Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> > > > To:	'MarcosManiacs@y...'
> > > > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a 
bit long
> > > > 
> > > > Hello All;
> > > >   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the 
> > documents from
> > > > my
> > > > build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common 
> > knowledge, but
> > > > it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information 
> > available
> > > > about
> > > > our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> > > > 
> > > > Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first 
> > authorized
> > > > dealer
> > > > of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time 
> > (summer &
> > > > fall
> > > > of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog 
regulations. 
> > They
> > > > pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this 
fact. 
> > They were
> > > > almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before 
> > customs sent
> > > > them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that 
Volvo 
> > engines
> > > > were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to 
Ford 
> > somehow?
> > > > 
> > > > My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President 
of 
> > Ford at the
> > > > time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar 
Kraft, 
> > who at
> > > > the
> > > > time was a performance and tuning specialist working with 
Ford. 
> > Kar Kraft
> > > > was responsible for all of the work in changing regular 
Mustangs 
> > into the
> > > > 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that 
project 
> > referred
> > > > to
> > > > the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is 
my 
> > speculation
> > > > that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply 
with 
> > the USA
> > > > regulations at the time could have been an informal test and 
> > first step to
> > > > an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> > > > 
> > > > There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy 
from 
> > Kar Kraft
> > > > in
> > > > charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence 
> > between him
> > > > and
> > > > a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost 
> > comical at
> > > > times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. 
Some 
> > thought
> > > > it
> > > > was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due 
to 'oil
> > > > surging'
> > > > which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of 
all 
> > of the
> > > > Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's 
were 
> > claimed
> > > > to
> > > > be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along 
with a 
> > new
> > > > engine
> > > > was ordered for my car.
> > > > 
> > > > Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive 
is 
> > was Jem)
> > > > was
> > > > trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the 
> > central and
> > > > east
> > > > regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have 
any 
> > interest
> > > > in
> > > > selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new 
factory 
> > was being
> > > > built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar 
Kraft 
> > claimed
> > > > that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the 
public 
> > just
> > > > sitting
> > > > on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige 
> > imports and
> > > > by
> > > > Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the 
> > emissions tests.
> > > > 
> > > > In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to 
drive 
> > my Marcos
> > > > before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable 
problems he
> > > > experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking 
of
> > > > officially
> > > > importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking 
along 
> > those
> > > > lines.
> > > > The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars 
> > indicates that
> > > > there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> > > > 
> > > > Dano
> > > > Essex V6 3M/5463
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > > > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@y...
> > > > 
> > > >  
> > > > 
> > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
> > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> > > >
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@y...
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> >

RE: [MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-28 by David Skora

Hi Mark
Thanks for your comments. It is fun to ponder the unponderable Marcos.
Dave (5006)
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	mark_saxby [SMTP:mark_saxby@...]
> Sent:	Monday, January 28, 2002 6:01 AM
> To:	MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long
> 
> 
> David,
> 
> You are correct that there may well be clues when a Marcos is 
> converted from LHD to RHD (or vice versa), but it's an easier job 
> than most mass produced cars and as the dash is wooden, filling, etc 
> is pretty simple as would be cutting and pasting (:^)) the whole 
> thing left to right (details like the glove box, etc notwithstanding).
> 
> You're also right, of course, that the handbrake would need to be 
> relocated (unless you're REALLY friendly with your passengers and 
> have long, very flexible arms! :^)).
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Mark
> 
> --- In MarcosManiacs@y..., David Skora <David@a...> wrote:
> > Hello Mark
> > Thanks for your response. I have converted a coupe of MGB and 
> Triumphs
> > myself. If a car has been converted, I usually find brake lines and 
> fittings
> > have been replaced. Also, tell-tale holes and mountings for the 
> original
> > hardware are hard to conceal. The original steering column mount 
> holes would
> > have to be filled. Also on a marcos, I noticed that the glove box
> > compartment is unique to the right side to make room for the wiper 
> motor.
> > Plus on a early Marcos, would the hand brake be repositioned?
> > Respectfully
> > David Skora (5006)
> > 
> > 
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From:	mark_saxby [SMTP:Mark.Saxby@W...]
> > > Sent:	Wednesday, January 23, 2002 1:41 AM
> > > To:	MarcosManiacs@y...
> > > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit 
> long
> > > 
> > > 
> > > I don't know how many Marcos were made LHD originally. Presumably 
> all 
> > > those bound for the states (mainly Volvo 3 litres) would have 
> been, 
> > > but it's very simple to convert a Marcos from LHD to RHD and vice 
> > > versa (the dash and footwells are symetrical), so there's no 
> > > guarantee that a Marcos that is now LHD started that way.
> > > 
> > > I'd guess that all the Triumph cars were, originally, RHD as 
> these 
> > > were built by Rob Walker cars to use up parts and sold through 
> Rob 
> > > Walker dealerships in the UK.
> > > 
> > > In one of the Brooklands books there's a picture (unless my 
> memory is 
> > > going completely) of an early-ish 1600 with LHD in London, so 
> they 
> > > weren't unheard of on the early models, although it's not clear 
> where 
> > > cars were going. 
> > > 
> > > In the UK, at least, the Marcos was a VERY trendy car in the 60s 
> with 
> > > many rock stars and TV personalities owning them The Walker 
> Brothers 
> > > had two, Rod Stewart (allegedly) went solo to pay for his and 
> John 
> > > Noakes (British TV presenter - Blue Peter for anyone with 
> memories of 
> > > British Children's TV :^)) had one. Therefore it's not unlikely 
> that 
> > > a number were bought by European celebrities and built in LHD.
> > > 
> > > END_OF_RAMBLE.
> > > 
> > > Mark
> > > 
> > > PS My car's currently with Alan Fereday Cars being refurbished 
> ready 
> > > for a return to the road in the Spring (I hope :^))
> > > 
> > > --- In MarcosManiacs@y..., David Skora <David@a...> wrote:
> > > > Hello Dan
> > > > Thanks for the interesting history. This is almost more than 
> what is
> > > > currently available in print about Marcos cars! Is your car 
> left 
> > > hand drive?
> > > > My car (5006) is LHD. Do you have any idea how many Marcos were 
> > > left hand
> > > > drive? Were all the Triumph or Volvo 6-cyl. cars also LHD?
> > > > Thanks Dave
> > > > 
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From:	Dan Orie [SMTP:dorie@s...]
> > > > > Sent:	Tuesday, January 22, 2002 6:02 AM
> > > > > To:	'MarcosManiacs@y...'
> > > > > Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] More historical tidbits - a 
> bit long
> > > > > 
> > > > > Hello All;
> > > > >   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the 
> > > documents from
> > > > > my
> > > > > build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common 
> > > knowledge, but
> > > > > it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information 
> > > available
> > > > > about
> > > > > our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first 
> > > authorized
> > > > > dealer
> > > > > of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time 
> > > (summer &
> > > > > fall
> > > > > of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog 
> regulations. 
> > > They
> > > > > pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this 
> fact. 
> > > They were
> > > > > almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before 
> > > customs sent
> > > > > them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that 
> Volvo 
> > > engines
> > > > > were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to 
> Ford 
> > > somehow?
> > > > > 
> > > > > My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President 
> of 
> > > Ford at the
> > > > > time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar 
> Kraft, 
> > > who at
> > > > > the
> > > > > time was a performance and tuning specialist working with 
> Ford. 
> > > Kar Kraft
> > > > > was responsible for all of the work in changing regular 
> Mustangs 
> > > into the
> > > > > 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that 
> project 
> > > referred
> > > > > to
> > > > > the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is 
> my 
> > > speculation
> > > > > that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply 
> with 
> > > the USA
> > > > > regulations at the time could have been an informal test and 
> > > first step to
> > > > > an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> > > > > 
> > > > > There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy 
> from 
> > > Kar Kraft
> > > > > in
> > > > > charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence 
> > > between him
> > > > > and
> > > > > a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost 
> > > comical at
> > > > > times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. 
> Some 
> > > thought
> > > > > it
> > > > > was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due 
> to 'oil
> > > > > surging'
> > > > > which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of 
> all 
> > > of the
> > > > > Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's 
> were 
> > > claimed
> > > > > to
> > > > > be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along 
> with a 
> > > new
> > > > > engine
> > > > > was ordered for my car.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive 
> is 
> > > was Jem)
> > > > > was
> > > > > trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the 
> > > central and
> > > > > east
> > > > > regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have 
> any 
> > > interest
> > > > > in
> > > > > selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new 
> factory 
> > > was being
> > > > > built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar 
> Kraft 
> > > claimed
> > > > > that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the 
> public 
> > > just
> > > > > sitting
> > > > > on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige 
> > > imports and
> > > > > by
> > > > > Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the 
> > > emissions tests.
> > > > > 
> > > > > In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to 
> drive 
> > > my Marcos
> > > > > before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable 
> problems he
> > > > > experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking 
> of
> > > > > officially
> > > > > importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking 
> along 
> > > those
> > > > > lines.
> > > > > The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars 
> > > indicates that
> > > > > there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Dano
> > > > > Essex V6 3M/5463
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > > > > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@y...
> > > > > 
> > > > >  
> > > > > 
> > > > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
> > > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> > > > >
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> > > MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@y...
> > > 
> > >  
> > > 
> > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
> > >
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> MarcosManiacs-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> 
>  
> 
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
>

Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-28 by gt4me84

Hi Dan,
Thanks for posting this fascinating info!!!
I remember seeing Prestige Imports mentioned in one of the articles 
in the Brooklands Marcos book, but had no idea that all that was 
going on behind the scenes.
Great stuff!!! Now, I have to figure out how to roll that into the 
web-site!


Jeff
#8052 1984 Ford V6 GT


--- In MarcosManiacs@y..., Dan Orie <dorie@s...> wrote:
> Hello All;
>   I had a chance over the weekend to really pour over the documents 
from my
> build history ordered from Rory. Some of it may be common 
knowledge, but
> it's new to me since I haven't read much of the information 
available about
> our cars - I hope it's not boring.
> 
> Prestige imports of Los Angeles CA. seemed to be the first 
authorized dealer
> of completed cars in the USA. The biggest problem at the time 
(summer & fall
> of 1969) was getting the Marcos to comply with smog regulations. 
They
> pre-sold over 200 cars, but couldn't sell one due to this fact. 
They were
> almost in a panic to get the cars certified by the EPA before 
customs sent
> them back to the UK, and seemed distressed to find out that Volvo 
engines
> were taking the place of the Fords - maybe they were tied to Ford 
somehow?
> 
> My car as I mentioned earlier, was ordered by the President of Ford 
at the
> time. The car was first delivered to a company called Kar Kraft, 
who at the
> time was a performance and tuning specialist working with Ford. Kar 
Kraft
> was responsible for all of the work in changing regular Mustangs 
into the
> 'Boss 429 Mustangs'. 'Boss' was how the workers of that project 
referred to
> the President of Ford at the time and the name stuck. It is my 
speculation
> that having Kar Kraft initially work on the Marcos to comply with 
the USA
> regulations at the time could have been an informal test and first 
step to
> an eventual selling agreement in the USA by Ford.
> 
> There was considerable frustration on the part of the guy from Kar 
Kraft in
> charge of getting my Marcos road-worthy. The correspondence between 
him and
> a couple of Marcos employees - including Jem Marsh was almost 
comical at
> times. Evidently, my car arrived with 'bad engine bearings'. Some 
thought it
> was due to overheating, but Marcos claimed that it was due to 'oil 
surging'
> which was purported to be a problem with almost 20 percent of all 
of the
> Essex engines. The Reliants and TVR's along with the Ford's were 
claimed to
> be experiencing the same problems. A bigger radiator along with a 
new engine
> was ordered for my car.
> 
> Also, it seems that someone from Marcos (I'm almost positive is was 
Jem) was
> trying to get Kar Kraft to be a Marcos distributor for the central 
and east
> regions of the USA. He claimed that they really didn't have any 
interest in
> selling the Marcos in the UK, and told them that a new factory was 
being
> built and they could produce around 350 cars per year. Kar Kraft 
claimed
> that the Marcos attracted considerable interest from the public 
just sitting
> on the trailer. Kar Kraft was almost being begged by Prestige 
imports and by
> Marcos to provide engineering in helping Marcos pass the emissions 
tests.
> 
> In summation, I don't know if the President of Ford got to drive my 
Marcos
> before he was fired in 1970. However, the considerable problems he
> experienced with the car probably soured him on ever thinking of 
officially
> importing the cars as part of Ford - if he were thinking along 
those lines.
> The correspondence between Ford USA and Marcos on my cars indicates 
that
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> there was some confusion as to who was doing what at Marcos.
> 
> Dano
> Essex V6 3M/5463

RE: [MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-28 by Dan Orie

Yes,
   I wonder if everyone who currently has a Marcos were to order the build
sheet, just how much more we could have? It's pretty funny to read that Jem
Marsh was offering the head of Kar Kraft, Marcos merchandise such as cuff
links, pens, notepads, and the like to try and generate more interest in Kar
Kraft (really Ford USA) becoming the east/central US importer. But the guy
was pretty annoyed that my car was a bad seed from the beginning and just
wanted the car to be right. My next step is to try and research this from
the Kar Kraft angle to see if they have additional information.
Marcos seemed to be on the verge of greatness toward the end of the '60's,
but couldn't quite pull it off for a variety of reasons. Fitting a familiar
US Ford drivetrain that had already met emissions standards to the beautiful
body could have changed their fortunes forever - much like it did with the
Pantera.
Dano
Show quoted textHide quoted text
 -----Original Message-----
From: 	gt4me84 [mailto:DovenWolf@...] 
Sent:	Monday, January 28, 2002 11:28 AM
To:	MarcosManiacs@yahoogroups.com
Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

Hi Dan,
Thanks for posting this fascinating info!!!
I remember seeing Prestige Imports mentioned in one of the articles 
in the Brooklands Marcos book, but had no idea that all that was 
going on behind the scenes.
Great stuff!!! Now, I have to figure out how to roll that into the 
web-site!


Jeff
#8052 1984 Ford V6 GT

Re: More historical tidbits - a bit long

2002-01-29 by mark_saxby

All this talk of a Marcos/Ford USA connection in the early 70s brings 
to mind a conversation I had regarding the use of Mustang V8s in the 
latest Mantis models.

The person I was talking to (and now I can't recall who it was, but 
someone related either to the factory or a dealer) made the comment 
that buying Mustang engines and running gear opened up the 
possibility of selling the cars in the US and, specifically, through 
Ford dealerships (much as Saleen do).

Wouldn't that have been something!

Cheers,

Mark

--- In MarcosManiacs@y..., Dan Orie <dorie@s...> wrote:
> Yes,
>    I wonder if everyone who currently has a Marcos were to order 
the build
> sheet, just how much more we could have? It's pretty funny to read 
that Jem
> Marsh was offering the head of Kar Kraft, Marcos merchandise such 
as cuff
> links, pens, notepads, and the like to try and generate more 
interest in Kar
> Kraft (really Ford USA) becoming the east/central US importer. But 
the guy
> was pretty annoyed that my car was a bad seed from the beginning 
and just
> wanted the car to be right. My next step is to try and research 
this from
> the Kar Kraft angle to see if they have additional information.
> Marcos seemed to be on the verge of greatness toward the end of 
the '60's,
> but couldn't quite pull it off for a variety of reasons. Fitting a 
familiar
> US Ford drivetrain that had already met emissions standards to the 
beautiful
> body could have changed their fortunes forever - much like it did 
with the
> Pantera.
> Dano
> 
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: 	gt4me84 [mailto:DovenWolf@c...] 
> Sent:	Monday, January 28, 2002 11:28 AM
> To:	MarcosManiacs@y...
> Subject:	[MarcosManiacs] Re: More historical tidbits - a bit 
long
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> 
> Hi Dan,
> Thanks for posting this fascinating info!!!
> I remember seeing Prestige Imports mentioned in one of the articles 
> in the Brooklands Marcos book, but had no idea that all that was 
> going on behind the scenes.
> Great stuff!!! Now, I have to figure out how to roll that into the 
> web-site!
> 
> 
> Jeff
> #8052 1984 Ford V6 GT

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