Dudley kit-car firm Westfield goes into administration

A sports car manufacturer has gone into administration, its owners say.

Westfield, based in Kingswinford, Dudley, manufactures built and kit versions of open-top sports cars.

MB Insolvency has been appointed administrator of Westfield Sports Cars Limited and Westfield Autonomous Vehicles Limited.

The firm, said it had had "encouraging" levels of interest from parties interested in the company's business and remaining assets.

Mark Bowen, from MB Insolvency, said it had been appointed on 9 June and was working on letting creditors, including people who had ordered vehicles and parts, what the current position was.

Westfield has also been approached for further comment.

On its website, Westfield says it has sold more than 13,000 cars worldwide since 1983 and produces more than 400 cars a year.

Prof David Bailey, a motoring expert and professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, said Westfield had been a leader of the British kit-car industry.

"They were widely liked and well known in the UK and across Europe," he said.

"I think basically what they offered was a throwback to cars which were all about handling and speed.

"Whereas today they are all high-tech, refined - they were really raw, fantastically handling, speedy cars, which you could race on a track or drive on the road."

He said Westfield had taken over the company Chesil in 2019 and had been working in the autonomous car sector, developing shuttle pods used at Heathrow Airport and working on an autonomous road sweeper.

The automotive industry is continuing to face a number of pressures, he added, due to rising energy costs and supply chain problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.

"I really hope something good can still come out of this," Prof Bailey said.

"They are well known for their kit-car side, but were a very innovative company when it comes to the autonomous industry."

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