2005 Marcos TSO-GT

(from Marcos Press Release)  Marcos Engineering Limited (“Marcos”) is pleased to announce the new Marcos TSO roadcar has made its southern hemisphere debut in Auckland, New Zealand. The two seat open top sports car delivers stunning performance with a Grand Touring capability and a familiar GM drivetrain that make it ideal for New Zealand motoring enthusiasts

The TSO was unveiled at the grand opening of importer Roger Philips’ LotusCars New Zealand headquarters as part of the Marcos Preview and Impression Tour – and went on to perform in over 1000km of rallying and road testing for customers and press.

From the outset, Marcos set out on a customer driven campaign to develop the TSO as a reliable, easy to drive two-seater convertible, yet instill it with many of the attributes found in Marcos racing cars. This has yielded a sports car with exceptional performance and agility while also being comfortable and subtle for daily urban driving.

The “TSO” or “Omologato” is derived from its racing blood line and as such delivers an awe inspiring 400 horsepower in a two seat roadster that weighs just 1090kg. These impressive power to weight figures enable it to accelerate to 60 mph in just 4 seconds and to 100mph 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 Corvette and Holden road and race cars worldwide. This engine has also taken Marcos racecars to numerous motorsport wins over the last decade, including winning the British GT Series Championship. This Aluminium Alloy engine is extremely reliable, lightweight and compact. The TSO R/T benefits from Marcos enhancements that increase low end torque for enhanced drivability. The resultant performance is “ferocious in a straight line, as demonstrated by its 80-120 km/h time of just 2.2 seconds, which is quicker than the steroid fed Dodge Viper”, according to NZ Autocar Magazine.

The TSO provides driving agility and impressive road holding due to extensive chassis development and testing under a partnership with Prodrive – a recognized 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 company, yet take the design forward in precision, quality and style. The resultant design is exceptionally clean yet aggressive. Lead by Damian McTaggart, formerly the designer of TVR’s Cerbera, Tuscan and T350, the design team coupled classic sculpting techniques for real-time feedback with state of the art CAD techniques for precision and speed.

“The TSO marks the return of the sharp, reliable, high performance V8 British sports car”, said Tony Stelliga, Chairman of Marcos Engineering.” It certainly struck a note in New Zealand, a country with a deep entrepreneurial passion for sports cars and the birthplace of many motorsport legends including the late Bruce McLaren”.

The entry level TSO is priced at NZD$144,900 and delivers 350HP with a 5-speed transmission and 17 inch wheels. The TSO R/T is priced at $159,900 and produces 400HP with a 6-speed transmission and 18 inch rear wheels.

Marcos Engineering has also expanded operations into their new facility at Prodrive’s Kenilworth site in Warwickshire, England. This facility provides a 1.5 mile high performance test circuit and one of the few split low grip surfaces in the UK capable of simulating driving under slippery road conditions.

The TSO is being showcased at London’s MPH04 Earl’s Court motorshow from November 18th-21st. Additional information about the TSO can be obtained at www.lotuscars.net.nz and at www.marcos-eng.com.