MadaboutKitcars

In the Words of Bob Dylan , '' The times they are a-changing'' but also listening to Corporal Jones' wise words ...'' don't panic ....''

The way the Sammio range is being packaged , presented , sold etc is changing a little...

THIS WILL NOT AFFECT CURRENT ORDERS....TIMES , PRICES , COLLECTION POINT ETC.....ALL ARE UNAFFECTED.

I have joined forces with our most active Forum member , Andyp57 , to make some positive changes and hopefully , improve our service to customers as well as giving the product room to grow...Andy will be controlling Spyder and Cordite sales , the G46 will not be part of the agreement , that stays with me .

For the foreseeable future , kit production for the Sammio Spyder and Cordite will remain in Poole and you will be able to still collect your kit from Poole , but there will be an option of collection from Preston for all these kits and sundries etc.

Some kits may be available from stock soon....

All ordering , enquiries etc will be made via the new , improved website [url]www.sammio.co.uk[/url]

There is a short news item on there as well , explaining these changes as well as new Paypal payment options and news of current discounts.....so if you are lurking and/or thinking of ordering , please read about the offers available for the next month or so.....

Basically , Andy is taking over the kit sales side of things ....we have been discussing this for a while now and I have had many offers from people wanting to be agents on a sale or return basis , but Andy actually stepped forward with a financial commitment that showed he meant business and has satisfied me that he is passionate enough to take this forward with me...

For me , it means I can concentrate on a few things that need sorting....

primarily , trying to organise kit production , sales , enquiries etc. and manage build projects , has meant that we have been getting behind. The G46 is the most notable example of that.

The G46 has been pushed back by its more popular cousins , I haven't had the time to finish the first build , introduce alterations etc...we have also gotten behind on the partial builds we undertook.

So our time over the next few months is going to be spent getting the projects sorted ....G46 build and 2 x 550 builds are the most pressing ...

We are nearly finished on Barry's Spyder and we have 3 G46 bodyfits to get sorted...

When I can see some light , I will look at developing the G46 further ....this may mean removing it from sale for a short period of time.

I am also intending on building a few Turnkey style cars a year and still undertaking turnkey builds and partial builds as well.... The idea is to attend various shows throughout the year with a finished car for sale as well as regular listings on ebay , pistonheads etc.

Some of you may wonder why I am doing this and its pretty simple....

I haven't enjoyed things in recent months , I am very passionate about my 'babies' and also protective as well. The pressure of working 55-60 hour weeks has taken its toll....It has affected me both in my private life , financially by sinking every spare penny into development in a shortish period of time and my relationships with my son and his mother have been affected as well....I chose to miss out on key events in Sams life , holidays etc. to pursue the dream and that's not great...Mike has been fantastic during this period , he regularly works later than his paid timeslot , attends shows free of charge , works Saturdays free of charge etc. etc. , but it has been strained on occasion through financial restrictions as well as just being 'knackered constantly'

I feel the Sammio range is at a stage now where it stands on its own , is well known enough worldwide and is documented well enough for this next level of growth to happen without me being the one to guide it...

By taking this path and Andy lifting some of the weight off my shoulders , Mike and myself can get back to doing what we do best , designing , creating and building cars and hopefully better working hours....

We will be attending shows with Andy , my involvement in promotion of the cars won't alter , I'm not going away just trying to get back to normal !!

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS.....

Well done Gary, get your life back on track mate.

Work to Live, not Live to Work!

Your lagacy will live on.

BTW I will try and stop by over the next week or so and show off my finished car. Weather permitting!

Having seen Andys Facility's and commitment so far to growing his own business I have no doubt that your babies are in safe hands. I look forward to doing business with you both in the near future!

Weather permitting .....thought you were a hardened biker !

Would be good to see it mate ....we are working Tuesday if that helps.....probably 10-4

THANKS MATE ....

I hope most people on here will see this as a positive move , it is the right thing to do....I spent an evening with Andy and his son last week and the entire conversation for about 4 hours was Sammio related !! They are as passionate as I am about the cars and Andys son , erm Andy , saw the G46 in the flesh and went all weak knee'd !! So they might be getting one of those in the future as well !!

I know the feeling..... I can never get him to shut up either ;-)
When I spoke to young Andy last he was saying that he liked the idea of the G46 and needed to see one. I've said it lots before but you really do need to see it in person and if Andy taking over things on the Spyder and Cordite side allows you to progress with the G46, I don't see how anybody could take that as a negative!

Good luck to you both in your new partnership. Sounds like you have a great plan for the future, onwards and upwards.

If you wanted to have a formal news piece on the homepage, drop me a e-mail with the information and I'll post it up. john (at) madabout-kitcars.com

Cheers John

Sounds like a good move to me. Having met Andy and his little (!) boy recently I reckon the project's in safe hands. Good luck to both of you.

your own hard work and vision have produced a great product.

It takes a big man to admit to struggling and to ask for help.

This can only be a good step to take for all concerned.

Sincerely wish you, your family and all concerned with the Sammio Car Co the very best.

Now, get back to work.

Good Luck Garry
When the dream becomes a chore or a burden its no longer a dream its a nightmare.
I know the millions of ideas you have going on in your head and the current Sammios have been developed to the point where the money invested should start being returned.
I think that now there are cars being finished and looking very impressive that some of the lurkers are going to take the plunge to build their own.

I for one am grateful that you have an anything is possible attitude and there isn't many in the industry that have the passion and the vision to help a builder fullfill their dreams.

I hope everything with Jeanette and Sam is ok

As my old WO told me years ago:
"family comes first, then work, then hobbies. In that order. There are NO exceptions or you won't have a family to come home to!"

Best of luck to you all!

Hi Gary - Sounds like a good and positive move. You have become a victim of your success but have taken positive steps to resolve the issues.

That is my business consultancy bull sh1t for - Well done, and good decision.

I will email you in a minute about my body shell.

Hi Gary,

Good luck with the new arrangements, I really hope it does reduce the pressure on you (& Mike).

Take care, Paul.

Good luck, Gary. You have started a range of products that have brought a lot of enjoyment and pleasure (and bruised knuckles) to a lot of people. I hope that this new arrangement lets you enjoy all aspects of life.

I hope this solution will help you solve your problems and give you the opportunity to answer all my emails remained unanswered.
May be now, can you give me a delivery date?

Gary

Cool, really looking forward to the G46 taking off!!!!!!!!

Is it a bird?

Is it a plane?

......?


Gary/Andy, I hope Sammio Cars 'V1.2' exceeds your expectations and that of your customers.

Best wishes

PS I've emailed you separately.

Sounds familiar! Good move.

I wish everbody the very best, (not luck as it's hard work based) se you soon PAT

while i wish you well with the new arrangements can you now say when delivery of the G46 kits will begin , you have had my money for 3 months and i've not had a straight answer once yet when i've called you . Adrian

Great looking donor going on ebay for anyone thinking of taking advantage of the loyalty bonus discount -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRIUMPH-VITESSE-RED-/120924986512?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item1c27b0dc90

I'd seriously recommend going for an mot'd car as a starting point, it'll save you loads of time and money later. Don't do as I do, do as I say!

There are at least two others on this forum who have waited longer than 3 months and whose patience is also wearing a bit thin, so welcome to the queue!

It must have been a bit of a nightmare for Gary of late and if I were in his place I would probably had a breakdown by now, but I hope that under the new arrangements the company is now in a position to speedily complete the unfulfilled G46 orders/conversions and in that respect I hope to have positive news from Sammio Cars VERY shortly.

This is one of the reasons I have made the decision I have.....

When Andy approached me with his proposition , the timing couldn't have been better ...things were/are starting to get on top of me ....whilst I cannot complain about the success of the product , a two man outfit cannot perform miracles.....we try , but its not always possible.

When Nike talks about breakdowns , hes not too far from the truth ! It has been tense on occasion and I have not had a proper nights sleep in about 2 years , waking up in the very early hours and spending the rest of the night thinking about finances , deadlines , which customers to keep happy , who to pi$$ off etc. is not healthy , it affects work , homelife , everything...

The product we sell is cheap , thats a factor in its popularity. Downside of that is quantity is what keeps the doors open....the workshop has to generate money EVERY week , it doesn't always do that. We have to juggle jobs in an attempt to keep people happy but also create income. I have been very lucky , most of my customers are pretty good , Adrian included , and have supported us with no question. I started this with no money , no loans , no overdraft , no worries....still running with no assistance financially just worries !!
I take great comfort from the fact my customers believe in us and the products.

Last year I made a few mistakes ...we seriously under quoted jobs on quite a few cars ...me being the kind of guy I am , stuck to my quotes even though nothing was written down , result - we lost money on those peoples cars.

Add to that the 550 development at a cost of about 5-6000 and a sale of the project after a few sales of 2500 , that wasn't great either.G46 investment that is still showing no return ( will need to sell about 15 to get square ) , then we have all the ignored utility bills from previously that caught up with me all around the same time etc etc. and to cut a long story short , we sold something like 60-70 kits , built a few cars and had no money left !!

So , basically , what I am trying to say is , the G46 has suffered a little due to the popularity of the other cars and the need to get funds in asap.

It made it very difficult to finish the factors on the G46 I had to do to offer it in kit form. We have sold 3 so far and they have all been supplied differently as I haven't yet standardized the frame.

Clearing the decks a little is going to get the G46 sorted - fact.

Unfortunately , the first few of you are suffering as a result of my limited time I have been able to give to the car ....Ironically , its the car that owes me the most money but I just haven't been able to get on with it.....

Anyway , you're not interested in my life story or excuses ...you want to know whats going on.

We are switching back to one of my part time laminators this week....his first few jobs are G46's.

We have Adrians package to do , Dan's and WCA's as well as Nike's kit fit.
I found time last week , with Mike , to get the framework standardized , so no hold ups there either.
Its a mammoth body to produce and therefore not as fast as the Spyder/Cordite to create, but I would hope to have your kit fully ready for delivery within the next 2 weeks ....WCA just after and Dan just after that...

Nikes will develop alongside these in the next few weeks as well.....My department

Patrices is about to get hit hard for its preperation for the bodyshop as well...Mikes department.

I am genuinely sorry about the hold ups with this car ....we have had no issues at all with the Spyders up to now , but just too much on my shoulders....Andy's actions are a life saver !

That is a perfect donor by the looks of it....

If it helps anyone to make a decision on that car , I have a mate in Melksham who I need to collect a Hot Rod body from that he owes me from a previous deal about 3 years ago ! Its not too far up the road from us but I just haven't had the time or inclination to chase it up ( see above for reasons why ! )
I can collect the car for the winning bidder , bring it back to the shop and it could be collected at the same time as a kit or be delivered with a kit , stripped for you , whatever ...... I can store it for a few weeks , no problem ....

No fee , just a drink towards the extra fuel used for taking a trailer would be cool....

Gary, I think I can see where you are going wrong mate!

--------------

To get as far as you have with these projects with no financial backing in this country, and certainly in the current economic climate, is not short of a miracle and I think you can be proud of the Spyder / Cordite product. I hope the G46 (Mk2?) also develops into a worthy product too.

I'd guess there are a fair few people around with pretty little open top (& damp) sports cars that would not be in the happy position of kit car ownership had you not created the range and we are perhaps fortunate that for every Spyder / Cordite there is gracing our B roads there is one less Cobra / Seven clone.