Marcos 3 Litre V6 (1969)

After months of fantasising, I have finally had an opportunity to drive my father's 1969 Marcos. Having spent January through to April editing Making my Marque, I had seen so many Marcos' take the hill at Prescott that I was desperate to experience one for myself. And I have to say, that it really doesn't disappoint! Once one has negotiated getting into the car, it is possibly one of the most comfortable driving positions that I have ever encountered and the same is true once one is actually driving. I had been slightly anxious that the view over the long bonnet would make the car difficult to manoeuvre at low speeds but despite being so low and so far back, the driving position feels incredibly natural. The car isn't easy to move around at low speeds but that results from the very heavy steering, which at speed presents no problems at all. And it is at speed that this car is most effective. With such a powerful engine (heavy but pushing out around 200bhp) in such a light car (the chassis is made of wood and the body is fibreglass) it performs very well. There is a good deal of torque on hand and it accelerates with real gusto. Handling is also superb - this isn't one of those big engined cars that only goes well in a straight line. The car emerges from Marcos' racing heritage and is designed as a GT in the classic mould; however, while covering big miles in it would undoubtedly be great fun, one would need to be wearing earplugs, as the car is more or less completely un-silenced and therefore very loud - as demonstrated by the outraged elderly pedestrian I passed the other day who flicked a series of 'V' signs at me. Unfortunately for him, once I had passed beyond where he was standing, I went under a bridge, which meant that the sound reverberated even more loudly than before! The other piece of touring advice that I have - and it makes some sense given that there is limited space for luggage - is to drive wearing as little as possible! All the heat from that big engine, which runs very hot, heats the cockpit of the car. I seem to recall my father driving up the test hill at Brooklands in swimming trunks during the summer of 1976 but I'm not sure that I would recommend travelling quite that light! Anyway, minor niggles aside - and at the end of the day one doesn't drive a Marcos for practicality - this is a truly great, and for me exceptionally beautiful, car...