The Marcos Mantara LM600 was a grand tourer-style race car built to GT1 and GT2 rules on the basis of the Mantara road car. It competed in the BPR Global GT Series, the FIA GT Championship and the British GT Championship between 1995 and 2000, and took three British GT class titles.
Marcos LM600 at a glance
| Maker | Marcos Engineering |
|---|---|
| Type | GT1 and GT2 race car based on the Marcos Mantara |
| Built | 1995–2000 |
| Series | BPR Global GT, FIA GT, British GT |
| Le Mans | 1995, 1996, 1997 |
| Debut | 1995 British GT, driver Chris Hodgetts |
| First win | Donington Park, third race of 1995 |
| Titles | British GT GT2 in 1995, 1996 and 2000 |
| GT1 version | LM600S, one appearance at Silverstone |
| EVO | four chassis built in 1999, designed by Wiet Huidekoper |
| Final assembly, 1999 | Venlo, Netherlands |
This page is based on English Wikipedia only, so the figures could not be cross-checked against a second source.
History of the Marcos LM600
From LM400 and LM500
The LM600 was conceived as a more powerful iteration of the Marcos LM400 and LM500 models. It made its competitive debut at the opening round of the 1995 British GT Championship with Chris Hodgetts at the wheel, and was also entered in the 1995 BPR Global GT Series and the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans with support from Cor Euser. Hodgetts delivered the car’s first win at Donington Park in its third race, and went on to take the GT2 class championship in British GT at the first attempt.
A GT1 specification named the LM600S was entered for Thomas Erdos at the final British GT round at Silverstone. After finishing fourth overall, that car never appeared in competition again.
International racing
With growing support from Euser, who led the factory race team from 1995, the LM600 began appearing at selected BPR Global fly-away races in 1996. It took its first international class win at the 4 Hours of Jarama and won its class again at the next race at Silverstone. Although it failed to finish at Le Mans two years in a row, it won a second consecutive British GT GT2 championship in 1996, with three class wins including one overall win at Thruxton.
Mantara LM600EVO
During the 1999 season Marcos Engineering was sold to a Dutch consortium led by Euser. With control of both the company and the race team, final assembly moved to Venlo in the Netherlands and the Dutch designer Wiet Huidekoper was commissioned to design a new version of the LM600. Named the Mantara LM600EVO, four chassis were built with heavily modified bodywork. Calum Lockie drove the upgraded car to the GT class title in the 2000 British GT Championship, the model’s third and final championship.
Design and features
- GT1 and GT2 eligibility: the same design raced in two classes, including a one-off GT1 outing.
- Mantara base: the road car’s glassfibre body and chassis were developed into a closed GT racer.
- Factory team: run with increasing support from Cor Euser from 1995 onwards.
- Three titles: British GT GT2 champion in 1995, 1996 and 2000.
Marcos LM600 versions
- LM600 (1995–2000): the original GT2 car.
- LM600S: GT1 specification, one race at Silverstone with Thomas Erdos.
- Mantara LM600EVO (1999–2000): four cars with redesigned bodywork by Wiet Huidekoper.
The LM600 was developed from the Mantara road car and closed the line that began with the Marcos GT. The last road-going Marcos, the TSO, used a Chevrolet V8. More cars are in the Marcos collection.
Video: Marcos LM600 vs Mosler MT900
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Marcos LM600, English Wikipedia: racing history, titles, EVO
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