Business - October 1981, Page 1

Aston Martin’s latest…

This is the Frazer-Tickford Metro, the first major result of the formation of Aston Martin Tickford, formed to make the Aston Martin engineering skills available to the world.

Report of the launch and a closer look on page 12.

Business - October 1981, Page 12

The humble Metro takes on just a little of that old Tickford magic

WHEN Victor Gauntlet decided earlier this year to start selling the engineering skills of Aston Martin to the world at large and launched Aston Martin Tickford, who would have thought that within a few months the name would be associated with a humble Mini Metro.

The new Frazer Tickford car was unveiled at the end of September to an eager press gathering at Woburn Abbey. The car is among the first projects of its kind to be completed by Tickfords. The man behind the car, as it were, is Mike Bletsoe-Brown, a local haulage operator. He wanted to build and market a car with something special to offer so he asked Tickfords to design and carry out a customisation for the Metro which would make the humble shell into a luxury car.

The result is an unimpressive-looking vehicle with racey-looking spoilers and an £11,000 price tag. Its top speed is over 100mph and it does around 35mpg. Inside, the car is upholstered in real leather and fitted out with a space-age type stereo system as standard.

The main effect of the re-upholstering is to reduce leg room in the back, quite generous by small car standards on the standard Metro, to the point where only children could have a comfortable journey. The sporty shallow bucket seats at the front were too narrow for my large frame and the small steering wheel looked out of place in a luxury car.

On the whole, the Frazer Tickford is not what I would have expected of something associated with the name Aston Martin. Mr Bletsoe-Brown says it is not intended as a performance car but a luxury one which frankly seems laughable for a car of the Metro's size.

In the first year, the sales target is 175 and full production capacity is 250. A 12-strong dealership network has been established to help sell the cars but servicing can be done by an BL garage.

Waiting time for a Frazer Tickford, once a Metro has been obtained from BL, will be two or three months and the conversion can even be done on a used vehicle so long as it is still in good condition.A turbo charger is an optional extra but Mr Bletsoe-Brown admits that he does not really approve of the device being fitted.

Mike Bletsoe-Brown started his business, M. and B. Transport, in 1971 with £2,000 he got as compensation following a road accident. Now the firm, based at Sywell, Northants, has 24 lorries including sophisticated long range vehicles.

Victor Gauntlet, Chairman of Aston Martin, hinted that there would be more new cars from the Tickford stables in the coming months. "We have a number of other major projects in the pipeline for major motor manufacturers," he said. Already the firm has produced a conversion on the Toyota Celica for a firm called Griffith International. The car is called the Sun Chaser.

Roger Berry

Business - December 1981, Page 4

New home for Frazer

Mike Bletsoe - Brown, who recently launched the new luxury car firm Frazer Cars, has taken on another venture.

His company , M. & B. Transport, have taken over a garage in the village of Sywell, Northants, where they are based, and when alterations at the garage are complete it will become the new home of Frazer Cars.

The garage will continue to be known as Overstone Motors and will cater for both the enthusiast and the fleet operator. All of M. & B.'s fleet of lorries will be serviced there.

Business - July 1982, Page 1

But beefy Metro misses the mark

Going cheaper: £11,000 Frazer-Tickford Metro

THE Frazer Tickford Metro was one of the first major projects to come out of the new Aston Martin Tickford Company of Milton Keynes. So far it has fallen drastically short of original expectations.

The car, which was unleashed on the world last October, is a customised Leyland Metro with a high class leather interior and a modified engine which gives it a top speed of over 100 miles per hour.

Sales during the first year of production were expected to be around 175. Now, eight months after its launch, less than 40 cars have been sold.

An announcement is thought to be due shortly from Frazer Cars about plans to introduce options on the car which may help bring down the hefty £11,000 price tag and give a boost to sales.

The Frazer Tickford Metro was the result of a partnership between Aston Martin Tickford and Mike Bletsoe-Brown, head of Northampton hauliers, M and B Transport. Mr Bletsoe-Brown commissioned Tickford to make the car and he set up Frazer Cars to market it through 14 dealers nationwide. Grahame Butterworth, of PR consultants Media Men, of Bedford, which represents both Tickford and Frazer Cars, admitted that the marketing of the car had not been effective enough and said that future changes to its specification may broaden its market. "It, however, has been an excellent ambassador for Aston Martin Tickford," he said. "It has shown the motoring world what the company is capable of."

Business - September 1982, Page 12

Frazer cars sold to Aston Martin

FRAZER Cars has been sold for an undisclosed sum to Aston Martin Tickford of Milton Keynes.

Nine months ago, the special projects branch of Aston Martin was contracted by Northamptonshire businessman Mike Bletsoe-Brown to produce the Frazer Tickford Metro, a luxury version of Leyland's car.

According to a spokesman for Aston Martin Tickford, sales of the car – with reworked body, leather interior and a modified 100 mph plus engine fell drastically short of expectations, as reported in July's Business.

Sales prediction for the first year was 175 cars, but after eight months only 40 had been sold. Mr Bletsoe-Brown maintains that in fact the predicted sales figure was 75, with a maximum production capacity of three cars a week.

None the less, it seems certain that the new owners have a number of plans in the pipeline for the car, including producing a wider range of options, making the £lI,000 vehicle more accessible price-wise.

Mike Bletsoe-Brown's reasons for selling Frazer Cars are connected with his Northants business, M & B Transport of Sywell.

"It was not actually necessary to sell Frazer Cars, but managing the company was very time-consuming. I had achieved what I had set out to do, and there were things to be done with the transport company, including going into the Swiss market."

In addition, Mr Bletsoe-Brown has bought Overstone Motors, a garage in Sywell, which will act as a Frazer dealer in a revised network being planned by Aston Martin Tickford.

Frazer Cars had 14 dealers, and it seems likely that Tickford may bring some of their

marketing expertise and contacts to bear, especially through Aston Martin's six UK and five European distributors. A review of the dealer chain is underway.

While some left-hand drive versions of the Frazer have been built, a Tickford spokesman said that export was an area which the new owners of Frazer Cars would be concentrating on heavily.

The deal with Tickford, which went through some weeks ago, was no spur of the moment. decision, said Mr Bletsoe- Brown. "I knew that the other party was interested for some time," said Mr Bletsoe-Brown." They had been keen since the beginning."

Jon Gornall