Crossword Genius

Nobleman’s make of car and ship (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

marquess

'nobleman's' is the definition.
(marquess is a kind of nobleman)

'make of car and ship' is the wordplay.
'make of car' becomes 'marque' (I've seen this before).
'and' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'ship' becomes 'SS' (prefix in ship names eg SS Great Britain).
'marque'+'ss'='MARQUESS'

(Other definitions for marquess that I've seen before include "He's entitled" , "Nobleman" , "noble" , "Lady of nobility" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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