Marlin....The history...The Future

		THE HISTORY Marlin Cars has been established at its base in Crediton, Devon, since the early 90s, and has earned itself a reputation for developing, building and selling high-quality specialist sportscars. As the demand for individual, affordable sportscars has increased over recent years, the company has seen fierce competition from both other specialist car manufacturers and from larger, more mainstream car manufacturers, who have seen the potential of the sector. But Marlin Cars has maintained its market share by simply doing what it does best - producing the cars that people want. Marlin’s expertise, experience and craftsmanship have allowed the company to grow, moving into its current premises two years ago, where they enjoy the sort of workshop, showroom, stores and forecourt facilities that other specialist sportscar companies can only dream of. For Marlin customers however, it is a reality and it has given the company the practical and financial resources it needed to develop its model range. Over the years this has seen the introduction of the Marlin Cabrio, the fully-built Hunter and the sophisticated, limited edition Makaira, which have offered real choice in a sector previously served only by Morgan. Marlin's greatest success story has been the Sportster, a classic front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sportscar that combines up-to-the-minute performance and handling with classic styling and high levels of interior space and comfort. Marlin's policy of continual development has produced a range of Sportster options powered by Vauxhall’s Omega V6, the TVR and Rover V8 (a race-developed form of which powers Marlin’s own breath-taking and successful race-car) and the BMW straight six. The BMW version is the first kitcar to use the legendary German cars as a single donor - another example of Marlin's ground-breaking development. THE FUTURE With an established manufacturing and sales base, successful model range and on-going race-development, the stage was set for Marlin to respond to a new demand - for an exciting, affordable sportscar that would drag the clubman sportscar concept, previously dominated by a design that has its roots in the Fifties, into the new millennium. Enter the Marlin 5EXi. THE FUTURE CONTINUED The Avatar Roadster evolved from the 5EXi and inherited much of what we had learnt over the many years we raced the EXi. With a new chassis design and a more aerodynamically built body the race version of the Avatar went on to win many races. The final 2 years of development we continued to fine tune the chassis and suspension package so we could offer a road going car subtly refining the cars appearance and interior. The Avatar One now carries within it the benefits of several years of hard work by the Marlin team and contribution from external drivers such as Ben Collin and Dylan. However, Marlin no longer have the financial resources to continue to develop both sides of the business (Marlin and Avatar) so therefore have made the very difficult decision to sell the Avatar business and concentrate all efforts on taking Marlin Cars onwards. The car is now close to being ready to take into production as a low volume kit or finished car. For a buyer, who is prepared to add the final touches to the car and invest in its launch and marketing, this represents an exciting business opportunity. Offered in the sale will be all rights, Avatar marquee, demonstrator, all body moulds, chassis jigs etc For more details check out avatarsportscars.co.uk/