Type | British Sportscar Manufacturer |
---|---|
Industry | Automobiles |
Founded | 1979 |
Founder | Paul Moorhouse |
Headquarters | , |
Website |
Marlin is a British sports car manufacturer founded in 1979 in Plymouth as Marlin Engineering and now located in Crediton, Devon, England.
The company was founded by Paul Moorhouse, who, after building a series of one-off cars for his own use decided to put one into production as a kit car. The first kits were sold in 1979. [1]
The first product was the Roadster which remained in the line up until sold, along with the Berlinetta, to Yorkshire Kit Cars (YKC) in 1992 who kept them in production until the owner retired in 2006 and sold them on to Aquila Sports Cars Ltd.
In the mid 1990s the company was sold to Terry and Mark Matthews who introduced the Hunter model.
In 2016, Marlin bought Avatar Sports Cars to primarily build roadsters. [2] As of May 2019 Marlin Sports Cars have ceased trading and the company is for sale. No further production is planned. [3]
In April 2021 Kevin Richardson bought the company. [4]
The Roadster was the original car and was based around Triumph Herald range components (e.g., Spitfire, Herald, Vitesse, GT6). The two seat body built of aluminium and glass fibre had a radiator grille slightly similar to pre-war Alfa Romeo sports cars. As standard, any of Triumph's 4- or 6-cylinder engines of the time could be fitted (1147-2498cc), along with overdrive or non-overdrive gearboxes. In 1981 the Morris Marina became the donor car replacing the Triumph and the Marina engine became standard although many customers fitted engines, gearboxes and back axles of their own choice. Fitted with the two-litre inline-six from a late Triumph Vitesse, a top speed of 177 km/h (110 mph) was achievable. [5]
The Berlinetta was launched in 1983 version using Ford Cortina Mk III or IV parts. Of those who had bought Roadsters originally, some now wanted more room for offspring and partners who also wanted to enjoy the fun of the Marlin. So 1983 saw the introduction of the Ford Cortina (later, Sierra) based Berlinettas as a 2+2 coupé. This came complete with previously unheard of luxuries such as wind-up windows, a lockable boot and a hardtop option. A touring car rather than a sports car, sales of the car were fewer than the Roadster, mainly due to the more limited market for such a car.
The 1991 Cabrio was an updated Roadster based on Ford Sierra parts.
Based on the Cabrio the Hunter was a complete, factory built car.
Sportster | |
---|---|
Body and chassis | |
Body style | open two seat |
Powertrain | |
Engine | 2000 to 3500 cc BMW E36 I6 |
Transmission | 5-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Length | 3,650 mm (144 in) |
Width | 1,650 mm (65 in) |
Curb weight | 850 kg (typical) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Marlin Roadster |
The Sportster is the latest in the Roadster line but completely updated with the BMW E36 six cylinder engine as standard. It is available as a kit or fully built.
5EXi | |
---|---|
Body and chassis | |
Body style | open two seat |
Powertrain | |
Engine | Honda B1.6, 1.8 or K20 Vtec Civic engine Rover K-series 1.1 to 1.8 L Rover T-series Tomcat engine 2.0 L Turbo, Audi 1.8T |
Transmission | 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual |
Dimensions | |
Length | 3,550 mm (140 in) |
Width | 1,690 mm (67 in) |
Curb weight | 650 kg (typical) |
As a complete change from the retro looks of the previous models, the 5EXi is a modern two seat, mid engined sports car using Honda Civic, Rover K-series engines or Audi 1.8T engine . The car is built up around a space frame on which are fastened glass fibre body panels.
It is available as a kit or fully built. It is claimed by the factory that the kit can be assembled in 100 hours
The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s.
The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coefficient of 0.34, a significant improvement over its predecessors.
The Morris Marina is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive small family car that was manufactured by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1971 until 1980. It served to replace the Morris Minor in the Morris product line, which had first been built in 1948. The Marina was also sold in some markets as the Austin Marina, the Leyland Marina and the Morris 1700.
Marcos Engineering was a British sports car manufacturer. The name derives from the surnames of founders Jem Marsh and Frank Costin.
The Triumph GT6 is a 6-cylinder sports coupé built by Standard-Triumph, based on their popular Triumph Spitfire convertible. Production ran from 1966 to 1973.
The Triumph Herald is a small two-door car introduced by Standard-Triumph of Coventry in 1959 and made through to 1971. The body design was by the Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti, and the car was offered in saloon, convertible, coupé, estate and van models, with the latter marketed as the Triumph Courier.
The Triumph Vitesse is a compact six-cylinder car built by Standard-Triumph from 1962-1971. The car was styled by Giovanni Michelotti, and was available in saloon and convertible variants.
The MGB is a two-door sports car manufactured and marketed from 1962 until 1980 by the British Motor Corporation (BMC), later the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland, as a four-cylinder, soft-top sports car. It was announced and its details first published on 19 September 1962. Variants include the MGB GT three-door 2+2 coupé (1965–1980), the six-cylinder sports car and coupé MGC (1967–69), and the eight-cylinder 2+2 coupé, the MGB GT V8 (1973–76).
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Sylva Autokits is a kit car manufacturer based in Lincolnshire, England. Sylva was founded in 1981 by Jeremy Phillips and has developed and produced a number of small and lightweight sports cars. Sylva cars have won a number of 750 Motor Club Kit Car championships.
Type 9 is a gearbox from Ford that was used in Ford Capri 1.6, 2.0 1984 onwards, Capri 2.8 1983 onwards, Ford Sierra 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, Sierra XR4i, Sierra XR4x4 2.8 and the Scorpio 4x4 as well as the US market Merkur XR4Ti and Merkur Scorpio.
The Triumph Renown is strictly the name given to the Triumph's large saloon car made from 1949 to 1954 but it is, in reality, part of a three-car series of the 1800, 2000 and Renown models. Together with the Triumph Roadster, they were the first vehicles to carry the Triumph badge following the company's takeover by the Standard Motor Company.
Heron Cars were racing cars, sports and kit cars built in New Zealand between 1962 and 1999 by Ross Baker. They also included a one-off electric car.
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