YOURS FROM JUST £5k: BRITAIN’S MOTORING HERITAGE
Rights to four classic names – including Coventry Climax – are being sold online
An engineer critical of the motor industry for its apparent lack of interest is offering buyers the unique opportunity to buy the rights to some of the greatest names in British motoring history.
Peter Schomer owns the intellectual property rights to Coventry Climax, the Swallow Sidecar Company, (which became Jaguar), Doretti (the Triumph TR2based sports car produced by Tube Investments) and Kieft. The names were acquired when Ford sold Jaguar to Tata in 2008.
Peter said: ‘I bought these names to save them. They are an important part of British history. Now I’ve decided to realise some of my assets and sell some of them but it seems no-one in the British motor industry is interested. All I have had are tyrekickers and timewasters.’
Peter had tried to get a new Kieft car into production from a Sussex base. ‘Sadly, we just couldn’t get the funding,’ he said.
A Morgan-style three-wheeler had also been considered. The original Kieft company began producing Formula 3 racing cars in 1950. Drivers included Sir Stirling Moss, who later became a director of the by then Wolverhampton-based firm, which also harboured ambitious plans to build a road-going version of the car.
Coventry Climax is best known for producing engines for the Hillman Imp – but its products also appeared in everything from fire pumps to Formula One cars.
Peter said that he had approached Jaguar Land Rover to buy the names in his possession, but without success.
He is hoping to get £10,000 for the rights to Coventry Climax and £5000 for Kieft. Successful bidders would eventually have the right to use the trademark on everything from vehicles to T-shirts.
Email: speedy@f1power.com