Marlin Newsletter 2010
Frozen or not…
A BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU
• New Sportster demo on the blocks for 2010
• Full steam ahead for 5EXi race car
• Club news
• Hot deals and prizes
Inspired by the steady stream of orders for both the 5EXi and Sportster throughout the whole of 2009, we can now dedicate the time to start building an exciting new Marlin Sportster for 2010. This car will be built in and around our race season and during the build we will be keeping a build diary which will be regularly updated on our web site.
Mount Teide in Tenerife from the black lava field, early morning
Last year we were heavily involved with our 5EXi racing programme - further refining an already established top class product. This lead to considerable technical leaps regarding suspension, steering and drivability along with the latest VW engine option package and has produced a truly remarkable sportscar.
Marling Racing:
Racing throughout 2009 brought both highs and lows for the Marlin team, as we were constantly evolving the new VW engine package, which required a considerable amount of development work. One of which was further refinement to the cooling system. The newly powered car was always very competitive, though irritating and very minor teething problems always seemed to rob us of that elusive total victory we fought so hard for.
However this year, thanks to last years graft and an intensive winter development programme – sometimes disrupted due to snow & ice! we are nearly there now and confident to top the results for 2010.
Waiting to be called for the next GT race, Castle Combe ‘09
More torque - more drivability:
The 5EXi VW powered race car produces slightly less total bhp than our previous race engine, but it has much more torque and an improved torque curve – especially down low in the rev range and as a result this makes the car so much more drivable in race conditions. The VW based kits have sold very well and one of our customers – Steve Gray, now has a website featuring his 5EXi build at www.stsa.co.uk/projectEXi/ which is well worth a visit.
Expanding customer base:
We have been particularly excited – especially considering that much of the UK has been affected by the recession - that young people have also shown such a great interest as well as ordering both 5EXi’s and Sportster. As expected most orders and purchases last year and for the start of this year have been for kit builds; however we now also have full factory builds for both models booked to start early in March.
Engineering Specialists:
Engineering quality has always been of the highest priority here at Marlin and many people may not realise that as well as producing our own models we are also currently making chassis’s for two other top sports car manufacturers.
Exeter Kit Show and a lucky prize winner:
We always try and give full support to our local show and this year was no exception. On the stand of course Mark, Terry and Dylan were on hand to help customers and enthusiasts alike, - being sociable, offering advice and helping out with any queries technical or otherwise throughout the two show days.
Marlin teamed up with Gemini Radio at the Exeter Kit Show and offered a competition grand prize of a day with Marlin at a Castle Combe Race Day. The lucky winner was extremely excited when notified and he and three other friends/family members will be accompanying the Marlin Race Team for a complete race day during 2010.
Newly available & retro-fittable items for 5EXi:
Rear wheel arch extensions are the big news from the start of this year. These are newly available and simply bolt-on allowing even wider tyres to be fitted: Tyres up to 235 x 17”. These will be retailing for around £120 pair (please contact Terry for more information).
Last year during the race season racing we also made a few more technical leaps as regards refining the suspension and steering geometry. To this effect, new parts were released during 2009 which are retro-fittable.
New Retro Fittable Rear Wheel Arches
New Rear EXi Suspension New Front EXi Suspension For more details on any of the these items, please see our website www.marlinsportscars.co.uk or ring the factory 01363 773772. 2009 Club Roundup written by Ken Robson Donington - Friday 8th May 2009 Truly awesome circuit, who can forget the finest single F1 lap by the late great Ayrton Senna here in 1993 at the wheel of an underpowered McLaren. Dave and I booked with Trackzone which is run by the circuit themselves in sessions, where all cars are guaranteed 20mins every hour. We had never done sessions before but it worked well as by the time you got off, had a coffee, discussed your lines, gears for the corners etc. it was time to get back in the car and line up again. ‘The nearest I can express the feeling to? It’s like being on a roller coaster which is under your control. ‘
The circuit takes time to master but we had the good fortune to have lunch with professional instructor Gary Marsh who raced here up to F3 level. He gave us a copy of the circuit layout on which he drew the racing line and explained which gear you should be in for each corner. He explained that it was a very technical circuit and that some corners had a late apex which helped carry the speed through the corner and make the circuit “flow”. The feeling you get from accelerating out of Goddards through Redgate then carrying the speed through Hollywood and down through the Craner Curves words cannot describe. In the morning Dave & I were amongst the slowest on track but by mid afternoon we were amongst the quickest. One session in particular will be etched in our memories forever as we were determined to match each other which we did lap after lap. It was only when we came off the circuit for a break with massive grins on our faces that it suddenly dawned on us that nothing overtook us. 
With Garys advice still fresh in our minds in the afternoon session our performance improved considerably.
At the end of the day we were allowed an extra session with the race cars competing in the following days race meeting and to my amazement my 5EXi with its standard Rover VVC engine was quicker than a historic Aston Martin race car and the Ginetta Juniors which support the British Touring Car Championship. A brilliant, brilliant day worth every penny of the £145 it cost and we drove a total of 165 miles on track. It is such as shame that the track has been left in a mess due to the failed British Grand Prix bid but once the lease has been resold and the track restored I will definitely be back.
Cadwell Park - Mon 6th July
Cadwell is a narrower technical track ideally suited for motorbikes but with a great mix of corners which takes time to learn. The track is often described as a mini Nurburgring but having driven “the ring” in 2008 I would say that Cadwell is not a patch on it.
Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us with short spells of sunshine being interspersed with torrential showers so the varying levels of grip did not help with our learning process. We booked through Easytrack on a book early £99 offer which on paper was excellent value. In practice there were too many cars allowed to attend (65) resulting in long queues to get on track, too many red flag sessions and too many idiots on track.
Although it was an "Open Pit" track day we only got in 120 miles on track due to the queues and the weather despite being out on track at every opportunity, it was just a shame that we never had the opportunity to learn it properly with consistent grip levels. As with everything in life you get what you pay for, so next time I would pay a bit more and book with another track day company with fewer cars accepted as it is a great track and one for another day - but of the two I much preferred Donington
Kens Top 10 Tracks
Of the tracks I have driven so far in my Marlin 5EXi, this is my order of preference. This is my opinion based on my experiences which others may not agree with but it makes for a good debate over a pint or two.
1. Spa F1 circuit 2. Nurburgring Alan experiancing a wet but enjoyable track day event held at Castle Combe The best advice I can give anyone is to get out there and drive different circuits. Each one presents its own unique challenge and there is nothing better than coming away from a circuit at the end of the day knowing that you have “nailed it”. Engine & Gearbox Suspension & Handling Interior & Practicality Performance Track Days The Best Bit VAT Saver Promise: The new Marlin GTR: Race Car Developments: The area we wish to concentrate on next is to further improve damping control under severe conditions by mounting the shock absorbers inboard as per formula one style practice, and this along with a redesign of the bottom rear suspension arm, will allow fitment of a rear anti-roll bar. For a ‘lifestyle company’ we are almost a little bit too busy :o) Have a good year Mark & Terry
3. Donington Park 4. Brands Hatch
5. Pembrey 6. Cadwell Park
7. Colerne (airfield) 8. Castle Combe
9. Keevil (airfield) 10. Llandow
About Kens Car: (by Ken himself) Marlin 5EXi – T110 LAF
A standard Rover 1.8VVC producing 160BHP through a close ratio Rover PG1 gearbox with a Torsen Limited Slip Diff.
Standard Marlin independent double wishbone suspension with adjustable camber and castor, which means that the car can be corner weighted and set up to suit different circuits and driving conditions. Protech aluminium adjustable dampers coupled with adjustable front and rear anti roll bars.
MOMO Tornado steering wheel, Sparco race seats with Willans 3 inch FIA approved 4 point harnesses to really hold you in position when cornering at high speeds. Stowage bins down the sides of both seats, space under the bonnet for flexible bags and an all weather hood stowed behind the seats.
The car weighs 640Kg so with 160BHP it has a power to weight ratio of 250BHP per tonne which provides a 0-60 time of around 4.5 seconds.
This car has been driven on many track days and overtaken countless “exotic” cars costing over 10 times more due to its superb handling and excellent power to weight ratio. Running costs are very low, 50mpg on the road and there is minimal brake and tyre wear due to the light weight.
£8000 to build - under £150 Fully Comp Insurance. To the future…
Up to the end of March 2010 Marlin are offering to save customers from the dreaded VAT increase by reducing their prices by the 2.5% when ordering all modules at the same time. Which means not only the usual tremendous saving of £375 on your order but an extra 2.5% as well.
The Marlin GTR project is forging ahead and much development work has already been undertaken. The car is targeted to be complete by the end of this year and unveiled to the public at the Autosport Show in January 2011.
Although now fully sorted, one of our racing 5EXi’s will be used as a test bed throughout the season for new ideas to be incorporated into the new GTR. As always our policy at Marlin is that new developments will be automatically incorporated into new builds for no extra cost and wherever possible will also be made retro-fittable as an upgrade service kit for existing cars. Race Dates 2010:
Monday May 31st Sun June 20th
Sun July 18th Sat July 31st & Sun August 1st
Monday August 30th Sat October 2nd
…and please keep in touch.