Stuart wrote:Sticking them on ebay would have at least given anyone else interested in buying them an equal chance to buy them if they so desired.
I agree this would have been by far the most sensible option and a fair amount of transparency would have been maintained. With a decent lead time they would have brought their true 'market' value whatever that would have turned out to be on EBAY. I'm sure it would be more than £1! Even a pair of used doors recently went for far more than £1 on EBAY. Current prices of Midas Gold paper brochures also go for more than this on EBAY. I doubt the mould would have left the country.
As far as using the Midas name is concerned I do not think that having to sell the cars under another name is really an issue. Midas is just a name. Ultimately its a Richard Oakes design, just like the GTMs. As a name it has no value these days. Certainly it can be sold as a unique car that passed the ECE12 crash barrier test, which the convertible or the mk4's didn't to my knowledge. Everyone I speak to who sees my car for the first time asks if it is a Mini Marcos...not a Midas so it could even be marketed as a successor to the Mini Marcos. None of these things have happened.
When I asked about the condition of the moulds before they came back from Germany I was told they were in a serviceable condition. I was then asked if I would like to put some money in the pot for them, which I kindly did on the impression they were OK. So what has happened to the moulds since I gave this money then to make them now unserviceable? Has someone stamped all over them? On my knowledge about GRP, having worked with the stuff for over 25 years, I know it doesn't rot when under cover. Worse case scenario is that they will have a few pock marks from mould pulling that can polished and cut back on the finished article as its mirrored (i.e. raised), as long as the moulds are coated with PVA release first before layup.
And with all due respect (not wishing to knock Alistair) how many cars have actually been made in the last 3 or 4 years in the hands of the current maker whose current interest is actually in marketing the Deronda (not the Midas). The fact that the moulds for the windscreen on the Mk4 have gone tells a tale in itself. The Midas has not sold well because they have not been developed. This has been mentioned time and time again. The Midas are running on old technology, unlike the Deronda. In fact it would be nice if we had recent manufacturing figures. It would make interesting reading.
Living in the real world I realise Midas Cars are not exciting or racy enough in their current format for people to want to buy them as they are. They would make a nice point to point weekend vehicle though. The idea that most people want to ride around day to day in a GT the size of a Midas is frankly very silly in this day and age. They were running on old technology in the 1980's as was pointed out in the great car reviews of that time, never mind 30 years on. The tech needs to move on.
On a positive note since this forum was created you should be pleased to note that the market value of your cars has actually increased. I am well aware of this as I have been watching the market closely.
Too many committee meetings and not a lot of action.
Anyway I have said my piece. Just very disappointed.