Thursday 5 December 2013

Building a Racing Show Car in 1968

If I'd ever be able to time travel I'd choose London in January 1967 or '68 to go to, when the Racing Car Show was in its splendor with in Olympia's National Hall. Here you would stumble upon Deep Sanderson 301s, Fletcher GTs, Viking Minisports, Cox GTMs, Mini Jems and Mini Marcoses, all in their prime. Apart from the cars this was an Alladin's cave for accessories, too with all the people directly involved into these cars attending (plus some other interesting figures, too).

Marcos Components had three Mini Marcoses on their 1968 stand of which at least one was built from a bare shell on the spot. I'd seen one or two black & white pictures, but was much surprised when Olof Neergaard dropped me a line earlier this week. He wrote: "Thanks for keeping up the good work started with your Maximum Mini book and now continuing on the web. The 'Bird puller picture' made me remember some images from the (London) 1968 Racing Car Show. They show how Marcos promoted the Mini Marcos by assembling one or two specimen on location. Note the skinny tires and lovely blue metallic paintwork. A red car with "GT" strips also appears. These pictures are courtesy Swedish Mini Marcos racer Tommy Jagerwall who was there." I love 'm! Thanks Olof and Tommy. And Olof sent some more cool stuff, but that's for the next time.

UPDATE 26 January 2021: now confirmed: these pictures date back to the show of 1968, not 1967. More here.


Three cars on Marcos' stand in January 1968. '370 JEA' is their Mk3 demonstrator
Picture Jeroen Booij archive

Front car (another Mk3) is metallic blue and ready to be assembled on the spot
Picture courtesy Tommy Jaggerwal

Some time later it's on its skinny tires, with the Mini engine now also in place
Picture courtesy Tommy Jaggerwal

Can I buy it Sir? I can finish the interior myself. Where is this 1968 show car now?
Picture courtesy Tommy Jaggerwal


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