Mk3 Coupe moulds stored at Clanfield

[cortezkeeper]

Further to the offers to buy, if anyone is still interested, please let any cttee member know now (Sat 23 July). My tel number in UK is 01489 572759. It is really important that a decison on the moulds future is reached at the earliest and this will feature in tomorrow's (Sun 24) gathering.
See you at Enstone, hopefully.
Michael.

[manifold]

I am sure a lot of people, like myself (as I personally donated a reasonable sum of money to the club for them), on this forum, both members of the Midas Club and non members who have Mk3's would be very interested to find out what the outcome of the decision on the Mk3 Coupe moulds stored at Clanfield was.

I.E.

* How much are they going to be sold for?
* Who to?
* Where?

[Hans Efde]

Yeah I would like to know what is going to happen with the moulds as well. It would be nice if someone had the guts to start with a new Gold coupe. The car deserves it and it has enough potential.

[DavidL]

I was there when the decision was made but was waiting for someone more "official" to publicise the decision.

All I feel free to say at the moment is that the moulds will NOT be disposed of, and they are safe for now.

[Stuart]

I was there when the decision was made but was waiting for someone more "official" to publicise the decision.

You're official enough for me having been there, so spill the beans please

[Stuart]

Just heard that the moulds and container were sold to Alistair of Alternative cars for £1

Is this correct? was every member of the club asked for their opinion? I understand that others were interested in buying the moulds, surely it is in the interests of the club to try to recoup as much of the money they spent buying them in the first place.

Do club members who use the forum have any more info on this?

[manifold]

I'm pretty sure that if that kind of figure was more transparently made known, quite a few people, including myself would have expressed more of an interest....rather than a select few.

I find it quite disturbing and disappointing and having heard this news I think its enough for me to say I won't be renewing my Midas Owners Club Membership in the future as I don't see what it is I am actually benefitting from. It serves no purpose.

On a separate note I will make it very clear that this forum is for the benefit of ALL Midas Car (including Midtec) enthusiasts, not just subscription paying Midas Club Owners, and is run INDEPENDENTLY of the Midas Owners Club, FREE OF CHARGE, by a group of individuals on matters relating to these wonderful little cars. I.E. It is not a 'closed shop'.

I also have to ask myself what the reason was why Gordon Murray asked for his membership to be removed from the club a couple of years or so ago.

David

[Hans Efde]

Selling the moulds for 1 pound to Alistair seems to be a very favourable deal for Alistair and an insult to the club members who have to cough up their annual fee to keep the books in the black. I recall that Alistair was not interested in buying the moulds back from Germany, so the club bought them. Now that they have been given away instead of selling them is beyond me.
Alistair does not seem te be interested in reviving the Gold coupe, while several enthousiasts are willing to spend time and money to modernize the car and try to put it on the road again. So they just wil keep gathering dust in a sea container, I always thought the club was there to stimulate the marque and get as many Midas sportscars on the road as possible. This kind of back chamber politics makes me sick, I am glad I left the club a few years ago.

[Jon]

It seems to me that it’s the club that got the best end of the deal here.

Eliminating the cost to the club of storage and the potential costs of disposing of the moulds has got to be a good thing. It is no doubt a painful thing for a Midas enthusiast to accept, but the moulds are worthless.

I know a number of people put a lot of effort in to bringing the moulds back to the UK, but with hindsight it turned out to be a waste of time.

I’ve seen various forum postings and received mail shots from the club asking for my opinion on the matter, so I don’t think any club members can complain that they didn’t know what was going on. I expect, as is usual in these cases, the committee probably had virtually no response.

If a competent Midas enthusiast wanted to have a go at re-engineering the Gold, it would be cheaper to pick up a scruffy car on Ebay and cut that about than it would be to start with a shell from the moulds. Apart from a number of K series modifications, I’ve not seen anything radical like a mid engined conversion carried out on a Gold, unlike the huge number of imaginative conversions you see on Minis. If anyone wanted to do something extreme on a Gold it would have been done by now. I thought of a number of interesting things to do with my written off Gold shell, but none of them made as much sense as putting a lot less time, effort and money into a second hand Elise or similar.

[cortezkeeper]

The decision to move the moulds on was discussed at the AGM and various options were floated. I publicised those options on the forum and club members were notified by e-mail or by letter. This was done with the stated intention of making a decision at the Open Day, to which all club members were invited. The decision reached after discussion at the Open Day should have been circulated fairly promptly thereafter but force of circumstance got in the way, so circulation was delayed. Members will however be notified very soon by letter or e-mail and I expect the communication to contain a timeline. I make it clear that I am not dealing with that communication. Whatever happens, a significant gain for the club is the removal of the storage charges.
The moulds were brought back from Berlin, with membership agreement, in good faith. The reality is however twofold - there has been no call on their use and their condition leaves much to be desired. I am no expert in this topic but my understanding is that a full and expensive refurbishment may be needed and the club, in the ultimate disposal documentation, will make it clear that there is no suggestion that the moulds are fit for purpose. Beyond this, of course, I understand that Alistair holds the rights to the Midas name, so no other body could claim Midas manufacturing.
Alternative offers for purchase have been canvassed extensively but I do not recall receiving any formal offer in writing - in fact, I do not recall being in receipt of any direct formal detailed offer by any means other than as discussed at the Open Day. I am more than happy to be corrected on this point if my memory is in question but time is of the essence. Club members have my contact details and my last forum posting carried my home 'phone number for that very purpose. If I was standing completely outside the issue, it would seem reasonable to me that,subject to no better offer for the moulds including their transport and the disposal of the container, being received,the best place for the moulds is in the hands of the maker of Midas cars. Again, I am happy to be corrected but please do so promptly.
Michael.