X Power dream turns sour for MG Sports and Will Riley

Dec 31 2009 By Edward Chadwick

The man who promised to revive MG’s proud motor sports heritage is being chased by former employees for thousands of pounds in unpaid wages and also faces theft charges, writes Edward Chadwick.

Will Riley boasted less than two years ago how he had a raft of orders for powerful MG X Power coupés after acquiring the rights to the marque after the collapse of Longbridge.

He promised that he would soon be employing 200 workers after ploughing more than £3 million into his vision to make 200mph super cars in the Midlands.

But Mr Riley’s dream now appears to have turned sour after he was arrested on suspicion of theft and battles a bitter war with his staff who say they worked for months without receiving a penny.

They claim that the tiny MG Sports headquarters in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, has never produced a single car and have accused him of putting a David versus Goliath trademarks battle ahead of paying salaries to struggling workers.

Mr Riley is also fighting Chinese car giants Nanjing, which bought the collapsed Longbridge firm for £53 million, in the High Court for the right to use the famous red octagon.

Despite the setbacks, Mr Riley told the Birmingham Post he was focused on making cars and denied he had done anything wrong. He said he had been set back by the slump in the motor trade and let down by the same workers taking action against him.

His solicitors have now issued a counter claim for £16,000 against one former employee for work which had been “unsatisfactorily” carried out.

Among the disgruntled ex-staff is Mr Riley’s former right-hand man Tony Cox, who said he was driven to the brink of bankruptcy because of a string of “broken promises” by Mr Riley.

He will start tribunal proceedings in January to try to claim £13,500 in unpaid wages.

“I lost my caravan and nearly lost my house because he didn’t pay us,” said Mr Cox, a former Longbridge worker, who helped to develop the X Power.

“If it hadn’t been for the help of my family, the house would have been repossessed. This could have been a great car but the money was never there to develop it. We never built a full car in all the time I was there – all those used in the promotion shots were Longbridge cars which we had tinkered with.

“He is fighting this battle with Nanjing while we were working without pay.”

After a string of adjourned employment tribunals, Mr Cox and Mr Riley are finally set to come face-to-face at a showdown hearing in January.