Just seen this on the Robin Hood website

1st March 2005
As you may be aware, Robin Hood Sports Cars Ltd is for sale, we have been negotiating with new owners to take over our complete operation. In a surprise announcement they have asked us to refuse all orders for Lightweight kits as they would like to market the project themselves in their own style as they are not happy with our style. The sale still has to be finalised and inevitably there will be a delay in the new owners actually being able to offer the kit to the public.



Although we have booked to attend the kit car shows at both Bingley Hall, Stafford and Detling, Kent, realistically it is unlikely that we will be taking orders at these shows for Lightweights and at this stage are unsure what vehicles will be on display.

Could this mean an improvement at Robin Hood or a turn for the even worse? I must admit I was quite taken with the idea of the lightweight although a bit put off by the manufacturer. Just waiting for one to actually be built and supplied for testing/review.

I was more intrigued by this bit - also from the RH website

Robin Hood Sports Cars Ltd is up for sale, we are currently advertising again as a going concern lock, stock and barrel for £1.9 million. This includes the three freehold factories in Nottinghamshire, extensive CNC and general machinery, demonstration and general cars, vast stocks, etc. etc. With a turnover of £1.17 million with a net profit of £330k (certified). The reason for the sale is that our MD, Richard Stewart is nearing retiring age and would now like to take things easier.

If you are interested then please telephone Paddy Fitch on 07780 720479 for more details.


Paddy Fitch is/was one of the Head Honchos at GTM.
Now that's a connection I would never have made.

words gold and mine spring to mind.

I would never have guessed RH was worth that - Caterham only went for 4m to their new owner.

Mark

You should have seen the porsche that was parked up front .

I left it there while I nipped round the corner to the Swan for lunch. I'll be down again some time next week for the bits I forgot last time..

So if 190 members from this forum chipped in 10k each

to many cooks! i bet we could make it go bust within 3 months!!! the thought crossed my mind too.

Taken from Totalkitcar this evening:-

STEVE SAYS - FRIDAY 29 APRIL 2005


BREAKING NEWS…Robin Hood Sportscars sold! New owners are a venture capitalist group led by Mark Segal. More this Friday.

Hmm, interesting. Is this going to be a good thing?

Adam

How to turn turd into money in one easy step........alledgedly

Well, the new owners are in charge and already they have increased the prices. £3000 for the 2B!! I'm sure that used to be £1200.

Trouble is there is so much crap written in the mags that people believe it....in reality most kitcars are crap cobbled together affairs trying to hide behind fancy BHP figures and shiny wheels.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ronin
Well, the new owners are in charge and already they have increased the prices. £3000 for the 2B!! I'm sure that used to be £1200.

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oooo cool means i get to earn a living rather than scratch one if the "hood" goes up in price for dried cow shite then nice stuff gotta be worth more.......nice move Mr new robin hood owner

being new to the kit scene, Im not sure why Robin Hood seem to be regarded so poorly here?

Poor quality? bad value?

quote:

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Originally posted by dave dickson
being new to the kit scene, Im not sure why Robin Hood seem to be regarded so poorly here?

Poor quality? bad value?

---

the consensus seems to be good value but poor quality. probably not as bad as people make out though.

Hoods were engineered for minimum productions cost but the finish, quality and (non) fit of the parts together with many aspects of the automotive engineering particularly the various suspension used didn't win many fans.

They did succeed in the pile high sell cheap style of trading helped by some very glossy advertising but the fact is there are an awful lot of disenchanted RH builders with quarter built cars in the back gardeen.

quote:

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Originally posted by Ronin
Well, the new owners are in charge and already they have increased the prices. £3000 for the 2B!! I'm sure that used to be £1200.

---

Somebdy mention a sows ear

if you include the sow's ear option

Its not just the 2b that gone up in price, the lightweight is now £1795, no 4% to match inflation nonsence there then.
As a former 2b owner i would say that surely you would struggle to find a stronger chassis (or heavier !) but i didn't the the lines too much, the way the side panels curved going back to the rear wheel arches, not nice at all.
The lightweight does look pretty though, trouble is its now over priced.
The only reason poeple bought RH kits was the budget price, now thats gone, why bother?

Hmmm, one would guess the venture capitalists may sell the site (to themselves perchance?) and then lease it back to 'RH', before letting RH slide in to administration, where, with no assets they'll be liable for nothing, especially the welfare of the poor sods who work there...(merely the ramblings of a bitter and twisted old git and not representative of the thoughts of the author)
Funny bit is I never, ever, liked the RH, Colin would have turned in his grave (on a lightly sprung and well damped, tubular spaceframe chassis no doubt)

rh's niche was that it was all from a sierra and was rock bottom prices.

sierras are not around for much longer, and they are not rock bottom prices.

they need a better plan i think.

atb

steve


btw - no way would I put 10k into rh!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on 10/5/05 by stephen_gusterson]

a friend of mine is building a 2B - even with a very comprehensive parts list - it still didnt go together very good (according to him) , and i cant understand why they would even use the subframe for the back , heavy or what?

that comes from me building one based on a volvo !!!!

Anyone got any ideas how they intend to stop the Lightweight from tearing at all the stress points yet? There does not seem to be any new pictures on the site, especially around the suspension pickup points.

Is it still held together by rivets?

Cheers

Mark