Marcos sold the Mantis as a kit for 425 pounds -- less than a quarter of the 3,185 pounds asked for the factory-built car, and cheaper even than a Rover 3500 V8 saloon.
Lead trim: Mantis M70 2.5 Triumph six
Marcos Mantis M701970–1971
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Marcos Mantis M70 yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactMarcos sold the Mantis as a kit for 425 pounds -- less than a quarter of the 3,185 pounds asked for the factory-built car, and cheaper even than a Rover 3500 V8 saloon.
The first Marcos Mantis was the Mantis XP, a one-off mid-engined Repco V8 racing car for Group 6 that retired at the 1968 Spa 1,000 km with electrical problems (it then went to America with a Buick V8). The road cars followed in 1970, announced for sale in the UK in October 1970 as a luxurious 2+2 with a claimed top speed of 120 mph, powered by the same Triumph 2.5-litre six-cylinder as the TR6 and TVR, with coil springs all round and a live rear axle with trailing links and an "A" bracket, aimed at the "younger English executive market"; it was 15 ft 6 in long and 3 ft 10 in high, one of the lowest coupés of its time. In February 1971 Marcos announced a component-form price of £425 against £3,185 for the factory-built car (a V8 Rover 3500 would have cost £2,150), but with Marcos closing later in 1971 only 32 were built, though Motor reported another 35 unsold cars in the United States. Around 6–7 M70s survive. After the closure Autotune UK acquired the moulds and produced a few kits in the mid-1980s as "Autotune Mirages". The Mantis name returned in 1997 on an unrelated 4.6-litre two-seater (Mantis GT with a supercharger, 506 hp, 452 lb·ft, 0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds, 179 mph; 51 road cars, 16 of them GT), which is not entered here because the page gives no end year.
Collectors Spotted in the Marcos Mantis Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Marcos Mantis yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
One published trim in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mantis M70 2.5 Triumph six | 1970–1971 | 2.5 L 6-cyl | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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