2004 Marcos TSO

Marcos Engineering Ltd ("Marcos") was pleased to announce the TSO roadcar which made its debut at the 2004 Sunday Times Motorshow at the National Exhibition Centre In Birmingham. This two seat open top sports car delivers an unprecedented level of power, precision and style in the company’s 45-year sportscar history.

From the outset, the new management and engineering team at Marcos set out to build a reliable, easily drivable two-seater, yet instil the TSO with many of the attributes found in Marcos racing cars. This has yielded a road car with exceptional performance and agility while also being comfortable in daily driving and at home in any environment.

The resulting "TSO" or "Omologato" is derived from its racing blood line and as such delivers an awe inspiring 400 horsepower in a two seat roadcar that weighs just 2400 lbs. These impressive power to weight figures enable it to accelerate to 60 mph in just 4 seconds and to 100 mph in just 9 seconds. Top speed is estimated to be over 185 mph.

Power is provided by a 5.7 Litre V8 Engine derived from the same GM powerplant used in Marcos and Corvette racing cars worldwide. This Aluminium Alloy block and head design is extremely reliable and lightweight. The TSO R/T benefits from intake and valve train enhancements to increase useable horsepower without sacrificing drivability or fuel economy.

The TSO provides driving agility and impressive road holding due to extensive chassis development and

testing under a partnership with Prodrive – a recognised leader in chassis dynamics, vehicle dynamic systems and powertrains. Currently, Prodrive has six World Rally titles and five British Touring Car Championships to their name.

The design team was driven to capture some lines from the 45-year winning history of the brand, yet take the design forward in precision, quality and style. Designed by Damian McTaggart, formerly the designer of TVR’s Cerbera, Tuscan and T350, the TSO’s lines are exceptionally clean yet aggressive. The design effort coupled classic sculpting techniques for real-time feedback with state of the art CAD techniques for precision and speed.

The entry level TSO is priced at £39,950 and delivers 350HP with a 5-speed transmission and 17 inch wheels. The TSO R/T is priced at £44,950 and produces 400HP with a 6-speed transmission, sports suspension package and 18 inch rear wheels.

"The TSO marks the return of the sharp, affordable, high performance V8 British sports car ", said Tony Stelliga, Chairman of Marcos Engineering." We believe it hits a gap in the marketplace that stirs the soul of motoring enthusiasts and are thrilled with the result".

Source - Marcos Media