Dozens lose jobs as car design firm goes bust

A company who design and engineer prototype cars have called in administrators with the loss of 65 jobs.

HPL Prototypes, based in Coventry, previously had contracts with companies like Bentley, Land Rover and Rolls Royce to design concept vehicles.

Accounting firm RSM UK confirmed to the BBC that they have been appointed as joint administrators after "a period of financial distress and and economic uncertainty".

A spokesperson added that they were drawing up a strategy for projects the firm was working on but that it had stopped trading with 65 staff made redundant.

HPL Protoypes opened in the 1920s and was the base for Triumph's Le Mans racing team in the 50s and, between 1960 and 1980, was the prototyping division for Triumph cars

A source told the BBC some staff have not been paid for six weeks and were still owed overtime payments from work over the Christmas period.

The spokesperson at RSM UK said "employees are making claims to the redundancy payments service for any wages and salary owed, including overtime".

It is understood it is expected to take three weeks for those claims to be progressed.

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