Modus in Formula 5000
Tom Walkinshaw's 1975 Modus M5 in the paddock at Oulton Park's Good Friday meeting in March 1975. Copyright Dr Brian S Ellis 2008. Used with permission.
Former saloon car driver and property developer Teddy Savory founded Modus Cars in 1973 and poached ex-McLaren designer Jo Marquart from GRD as head designer. Neither of Marquart's previous companies, Huron and GRD, lasted long; neither would Modus. The first Modus was a multi-purpose monocoque car intended for Formula 3 (as the M1), Formula Super Vee (M2) and Formula Atlantic (M3). A derivative would also be built to Formula 2 spec for hilclimbing, another for Formula 5000 and two more for Formula Renault Europe, or Formula Super Renault as it was known in the UK.
Tony Brise contributed to significant success in F3 and Atlantic in 1974 and the cars were developed further for 1975 when Modus briefly became one of the UK's leading constructors. In 1976 Marquart produced a different design, the M7, for Formula 2 but that was very troublesome and the team closed down at the end of that season. Marquart carried on however to form Anglia Cars where he produced the Argo JM1 for 1977, basically a developed Modus M1. Argo survived much longer but the strain of keeping it afloat damaged Marquart's health and he died in 1993, aged just 57.
All and any help would be gratefully received. Please e-mail Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com if you can add anything.
| Type | Years | Number built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modus M1 | 1974-1976 | Between 26 and 30 (including two for Formula Atlantic) | Formula 3 |
| Modus M2 | 1975-1976 | Probably 7, possibly one or two more. | Formula Super Vee |
| Modus M3 | 1974-1976 | Between 11 and 13 (plus two converted F3s; including one probable for F2) | Formula Atlantic. FULL DETAILS AVAILABLE |
| Modus M4 | 1975 | 1 | F2/Hill climb. M4-011-SH (M4H) was built for Ken McMaster for the 1975 British Hill Climb Championship. It ran with a 2-litre Ford BDG, later a 2-litre Hart 420S and then a 2.2 Hart 420R engine. |
| Modus M5 | 1975 | 1 | F5000. M5-021-F5 built for Tom Walkinshaw for the 1975 Shellsport F5000 Championship. It was fitted with a 3.4-litre Ford GA V6 engine. FULL DETAILS AVAILABLE |
| Modus M6 | 1975 | 2 | Two cars built for Formula Renault Europe. Both went to agent Alan Vignais, but it possible that one was converted to Formula 3 specification. |
| Modus M7 | 1976 | 1 | Formula 2. M7-039-F2 built for Ian Grob and run by the works in European F2 in 1976. |
Total number built: probably 48.
These histories last updated on 4 September, 2024 .