Frank Costin

Maserati 450S Costin Zagato Coupe from 1957

Frank Costin (born June 8, 1920 - † February 5, 1995 ) was an engineer and pioneer of monocoque construction. Frank Costin was the brother of Mike Costin , a co-founder of the engine manufacturer Cosworth . During the Second World War he worked on airplanes at de Havilland . He later successfully applied his knowledge of aerodynamics and aircraft construction to the construction of racing and sports cars, for example helping to shape the shape of the Lotus Elite . In 1959 he founded the manufacturer Marcos Cars together with Jeremy Marsh and designed the "Xylon" with a chassis made of plywood . Because of the plywood construction, the vehicle was particularly light. He clad the chassis with an aerodynamically efficient body , which was a great advantage in automobile racing in the post-war period .

Later, the Costin Nathan (1965/1966) and the Protos Formula 2 racing car (1966/1967) for the Ron Harris racing team were built in his workshops . Costin took part in numerous construction projects from various manufacturers. This also included Lister Cars and Lotus Cars , where he contributed to the aerodynamic design. He also designed bodies for the companies Maserati , Lotus and DTV. He also designed the "Mini Marcos", "Costin Amigo" and the "TMC Costin" sports cars, which were manufactured in Wexford in the 1980s . He also worked on the "Costin Sports Roadster" in the 1990s.

In 1995 he died of cancer shortly after he had initiated a new edition of his Costin-Nathan coupe at the urging of Japanese buyers in southern England .

literature

Dennis E. Ortenburger: Flying on Four Wheels: Frank Costin and his car designs. Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 0-85059-770-6

Web links

Obituary: David Tremayne, OBITUARY: Frank Costin , The Independent , March 6, 1995
Fan site about Frank Costin's cars

Individual evidence

^ Founding Fathers of the Automotive Industry: Frank Costin (1920-1995) , But not all of Costin's projects succeeded; in 1957 Maserati badly misinterpreted his brutal but elegant coup body design for their Le Mans car, its dismal performance was as nothing to Costin's rage.

personal data
SURNAME	Costin, Frank
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	English aerodynamicist and designer of racing cars
DATE OF BIRTH	June 8, 1920
DATE OF DEATH	5th February 1995

[1] Founding Fathers of the Automotive Industry: Frank Costin (1920-1995) , But not all of Costin's projects succeeded; in 1957 Maserati badly misinterpreted his brutal but elegant coup body design for their Le Mans car, its dismal performance was as nothing to Costin's rage.