Dear reader, within the line of articles under the «Myths that you can have in slot» theme, I admit that I had the feeling that this car was crying out for some prominence. And it is true that we are dealing with a sports car brand that oozes exoticism: Marcos Mantara. A sports car that collects the heritage of the best British sporting tradition; character, exclusivity, and in a certain way a touch of audacity. It is a sports car with a simple but brutal conception, and it measures itself to sports cars with a higher technological pedigree thanks to its american V8 engine, and applying the «there’s no replacement for displacement» philosophy. No exotic or complex solutions; a powerful V8 and a thunderous sound. .

And I return to my already accustomed phrase… «and we can recreate ourselves with this same sports car in 1/32 scale». And for this article I have two very different approaches, but each of them being a reference in themselves, with their own idiosyncrasy and character. In this article we can enjoy both a Fly and a Revoslot version.

What kind of sports car is the Marcos Mantara?

Let’s start with a video available on youtube, to put us in situation.

How wonderful, right? It is an exotic sports car whichever way you look at it. There is no equal. It’s unmistakable.

The Marcos Mantara is a limited-series sports car. For this model, Marcos abandoned the possibility of selling it in kit form. The Mantara was offered through its small network of authorized dealers already assembled from the factory. The model in question, the exuberant LM competition version, had three different engines.

• LM400 (Rover 3.9 litre V8 )
• LM500 (Rover 5 litre V8)
• LM600 (Chevrolet 6 litre V8 «small block»).

Only 30 units of the street version of the LM version were made, and of all these, only one was made in the LM600 version. This gives an idea of ​​its exclusivity.

Sporting success?

If one takes a look at the results of the Marcos LM600 on racingsportscars.com, you will be able to verify that its background in competition is worthy of praise. Throughout its racing journey in different championships and competitions, it managed to get to the top of the podium from time to time. This shows that, of course, this British-American sports car was not short of attributes. A driver whose name will sound familiar to fans, Cor Euser, was largely responsible for the sporting successes of this sports car.

About the slot versions

As I commented at the beginning of the article, we have an old unit from Fly that I bought second-hand, and a «fresher» one from Revoslot. Each one with its particular charm. Inevitable collector’s affection for both pieces, and being aware of the limitations of the Fly unit compared to the Revoslot , but we are talking about two very different mechanical realizations. The exterior detail is praiseworthy in both cases. The Fly one has the typical scratches from previous uses, but that doesn’t detract from its charm at all.

The mechanics of the Fly contain the controversial and already well-known front engine solution. The engine is a Mabuchi-type short can, and the crown pinion ratio is the classic 9/27.

For a domestic environment, it is an ingenious solution that invites you to drive differently. In more competitive environments, this solution is debatable, but surely there are those who have taken this mechanical arrangement to unsuspected limits.

On the part of the Revoslot, it is a more current mechanic, AW disposition. Very clean and simple assembly as you can see.

Metal chassis in which the central part has a slight adjustable tilt, and the engine offers an interesting performance (peak 21,000 rpm) which, together with a 12/33 pinion/crown ratio, gives it a more than worthy pace. Of course, several acquaintances who have tried them on the speed track in a club affirm that it has very little engine braking, so it does not seem to be the ideal friend for braking on the very last centimeter. However they confirm that it is great fun on the track.

Let’s enjoy the looks of both. Note that this Fly’s Marcos comes with a nice detail, which is Balba Glez’s signature. She’s one of the most relevant Spanish racers. Taming an animal like this Marcos is not within everyone’s reach.

In conclusion: an interesting addition to any collection. The ‘1:1 Scale’ Marcos LM is another example of British artisan builders’ inimitable approach to delivering an unmistakable sporting animal. And we have two slot versions with a particular and diametrically opposite layout in both cases.

I hope this post has been interesting, dear reader. See you in the next entry.