Frank Costin was an engineer at the de Havilland Aircraft Company when, in 1954, his brother Mike, then at Lotus, asked him to design an aerodynamic body for a new racing car. The result was the Lotus Mark VIII. Unlike his brother, he was never a Lotus employee; he worked as a paid consultant or a volunteer.
In 1956 Colin Chapman recommended Costin to Tony Vandervell as the body designer of a Vanwall Grand Prix car, and the Vanwall won the first Grand Prix Constructors’ Championship. Costin then used his aircraft knowledge to design a chassis built from plywood, light and stiff, which he clothed in an efficient aerodynamic body. He worked on road cars for Lister and Lotus, and co-founded Marcos with Jem Marsh: the name is MARsh plus COStin. He also designed the Costin Amigo, the TMC Costin and the Costin Sports Roadster, and made an ultra-light glider with Keith Duckworth.
