Reader Alex Coreira sent in some Mini Marcos shots from his native Portugal and supposedly taken at Vila Real in the 1980s where it was raced by a Antonio Batista. Like the famous TransXL Mini Marcos as well as Pete Crudgington's Granny Smith Racing Marcos, this one also has a much altered and streamlined body but still it's a racing car unlike any others. Who knows more about it?
Ultra low nose and ultra fat and integrated wheel arches. It's a Marcos unlike any other
Picture via Alex Coreira
Same car, different colour scheme. Supposedly raced by Antonio Batista at Vila Real
Picture via Alex Coreira
And in anger, too, or so it seems, giving the racing Minis a hard time
Picture via Alex Coreira
Update 13 July: Francisco Costa is very quick with a reaction, including the photograph below. He writes: "I have some more pictures, but I don't know much more about the car. I do know some old folk in Vila Real that may know, but only when I get back there can I ask (I used to study there and fell in love with the circuit and all it's story. This picture is Vila Real, early seventies I think. In your second picture I can't recognize as Vila Real, looks more like Vila do Conde (another portuguese circuit raced at the time). The third also looks more like Vila do Conde, but I may be wrong."
Picture courtesy Francisco Costa
There's more pictures of António Baptiste's beast here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.minimarcos.org.uk/minimarcos/bortech/index.html
Looks like it got even more modified over the years!
"American Granny smith racing mini marcos"??? Its actually owned and built by Pete Crudgington of bath, UK
ReplyDeleteAmended now, thank you.
DeleteLove the last picture with the police and spectators standing on the side of the road as the Marcos goes past!
ReplyDeleteI'm close friends with Antonio Baptista. This car still belongs to him and looks just the same as in the first photo, except now it's silver instead of red.
ReplyDeleteFirst photo is in Braga, this last from Vila Real and other from Vila do Conde.
That's wonderful, thank you. Do post a picture of it if you like.
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