Connaught Motor Company is a British manufacturer of high-performance hybrid technology cars, best known for the Type D hybrid sports car concept. The company was founded by ex-

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

engineers Tim Bishop and Tony Martindale in 2004. Due to a lack of funds, the company was closed in 2016, and was later bought by Welsh engineering firm BDI.

History

In 2002, the

Connaught Engineering Connaught Engineering, often referred to simply as Connaught, was a Formula One, Formula Two and other sports car divisions constructor from the United Kingdom. Their cars participated in 18 Grands Prix, entering a total of 52 races with their ...

name was purchased by ex-Jaguar engineers Edward Timothy 'Tim' Bishop and Anthony Martindale and was officially founded as a company in 2004. Later that year, Bishop and Martindale announced at the years Goodwood festival that they would build a sports car powered by their own drivetrain. In 2005, in celebration of Tony Brooks

1955 Syracuse Grand Prix The 1955 Syracuse Grand Prix was a Formula One race, held on 23 October at the Syracuse Circuit in Sicily. The race was won by Tony Brooks, in his first Formula One race, driving a Connaught type B. This was the first international Grand Prix win ...

with Connaught, the company announced plans for the Type D sports car. The Type D was a 2.0 litre V10 hybrid sports car producing 300hp, capable of reaching 60mph in 6.2 seconds. Due to its hybrid drivetrain, Connaught received funding from the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

to produce the car and announced the Type D as the worlds first 'green supercar'. A working prototype of the car was revealed in 2007, although it did not feature the much anticipated hybrid drivetrain, and the price of the car had increased from £35,000 to £45,000. Connaught later announced that the hybrid version of the Type D was on hold, and the more conventionally powered Type D Syracuse would be sold first in order to raise more money to produce the hybrid drivetrain. The company subsequently received a grant from the British Government in order to set up a facility in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

, although additional funding was still needed, and current chairman Fred-Page Roberts was seeking further funding for the company. During the

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

, the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...

and Connaught's creditor banks failed to meet their commitments to the business, and the level of investment needed to industrialize the company failed to materialize. Following a failed relaunch in 2014, the company was dissolved in 2016. Fred Page-Roberts, the company's original backer, also launched a small start-up

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

company, likely based on his experiences in Connaught. The company is not to be confused with a business that has used the brand for second-hand cars and was fined for selling its cars without a street trading licence.

Revival

In 2020, Connaught Engineering was acquired by Wales based engineering firm Bevan Davidson International (BDI), bringing back the possibility of production for the Type D. After the takeover, Edward Timothy Bishop retained his place as head of the company. BDI subsequently revealed a sketch of the Connaught Villiers X20, a supercar equipped with a 4.0-litre V20 engine, created by merging two V10 engines together. If produced, the X20 would succeed the Type D as the company's flagship model, albeit remaining a one-off vehicle.

References

External links

Connaught Motor Company
Car manufacturers of the United Kingdom Luxury motor vehicle manufacturers Llanelli {{motorvehicle-company-stub