HOW MIDDLEBRIDGE WAS ALMOST A GREAT BRITISH SUCCESS STORY
When Scimitar SE6 production ended in November 1986, so Reliant could concentrate its efforts on producing its SS1 sports cars in greater numbers, a pair of Nottingham-based businessmen, John McCauley and Stuart Bird, spotted an opportunity. Both felt that there was a demand for an upgraded GTE, hand-built and produced to a higher spec.
McCauley (who had built a close relationship with Tamworth while working for Lucas) and former Audi employee Bird, approached Reliant in June 1987 to buy the manufacturing rights and all the tooling for the GTE and convertible GTC. The cost was £400,000, with a further £2 million to get their project up and running.
The Japanese owner of Middlebridge International, Kohji Nakauchi, provided the pair with the financial backing required and Kohji installed former Aston Martin mechanic, Dennis Nursey, as Middlebridge’s chief executive. Cars would be built at a plant in Beeston, Nottingham.
Expected output was 300 cars per year, but was nearer one to two cars a week. McCauley and Bird parted ways with Middlebridge and Dennis Nursey brought in ex-Aston Martin and Tickford director, Steve Coughlin, to turn around the car’s fortunes. His improvements to management and production might have been successful had it not been for the decision by sister company Middlebridge Engineering to buy Bentley Number One.
Middlebridge Engineering had been responsible for restoring a number of Aston Martins and Maseratis for customers in Japan and agreed a deal with the Bentley’s owner, Ed Hubbard. The aim had been to restore and then sell the car, but Middlebridge identified what it felt were discrepancies in its authenticity and tried to back out of the deal. A court battle ensued, which Middlebridge lost at the cost of £10 million.
Prior to this, Middlebridge Racing’s purchase of Brabham in 1989 for £1 million had already left the company’s finances stretched. The Bentley dispute served as the final tipping point, forcing Middlebridge to fold.
Mick adds: ‘It’s a shame because the Scimitar was only ever supposed to serve as a stepping stone. Kohji wanted to mate superbly engineered Japanese powerplants to a proper British aluminum-bodied sports car. I personally think that the plan was brilliant, but obviously taking on Bentley Number One was a big mistake.’