The Roadster Factory

[TR NIALL]

Sad news coming in from the USA that the Roadster Factory is up in flames hopefully everyone is safe.

[james christie]

Doesn’t look good at all

james

[AndyR100]

Yes, I understand it is expected to be a total loss

Edited December 25, 2023 by AndyR100

[foster461]

I did not see any reports of injuries, it started after 1am and Albert lives in the farmhouse a short distance away. From the pictures it looks like the entire building is a total loss and they were using a bulldozer to move piles around looking for stuff still burning. Hoping to get an update from Albert soon. There are always a few cars in the building and the ones in the front near the entrance were pulled clear. The ones in the rear were incinerated. A very sad day for TRF and the employees, I have receipts going back to 1982. Boxes of them, TR6 parts and my TR3 resto was mostly TRF parts.

[John Morrison]

Good news that no one appears injured but a pretty awful Christmas Present for all concerned 

John

[TR8IAN]

Has there been any updates on what actually happened or the final outcome?

 

Ian

[Pridewood]

Hello,

https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-roadster-factory

My best wishes for the new year.

John

 

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

On 1/5/2024 at 6:33 PM, Pridewood said:

Hello,

https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-roadster-factory

My best wishes for the new year.

John

 

Thanks for that John

[kiwican]

This was posted on the 6-Pack facebook page

https://mailchi.mp/trfmail/the-roadster-factorysell-off-parts-13366086?fbclid=IwAR0TxB6PkvwI4qVrihvA7ET05l4aVTZF3gpvRumiUD_DkN01p6lFQ4lE9-Y

This is the text

Dear TRF Customer-

As you have probably heard by now, there was a fire on Christmas morning and our building and inventory were mostly destroyed. TRF will be closed for the month of January while we try to figure out where to go from here. We hope to reopen and we appreciate your patience in the meantime.

TRF is grateful for the outpouring of support received from suppliers, customers, friends, family, local community members and even strangers. We are especially grateful to the 14+ companies of firefighters who sacrificed their Christmas to extinguish the blaze. Thankfully no one was hurt.

Here are some answers to questions you might have.

1)  We are going to consider all open orders canceled at this time.  If you have something on back order that you still need, please drop us an email (trfbackorders@gmail.com) to see about reinstating the order. Keep in mind backorders are not charged until they are shipped. So if you had something on backorder, you probably were not charged for it.

2)  If you feel you have a credit with TRF, please drop us an email (trfbackorders@gmail.com). Many of our records have been destroyed, but we should be able to verify credits if you bring them to our attention. If you have a gift certificate you no longer want, please get in touch and we will sort it out.  Please be patient, we will do our best to get back to you by the end of January.

3)  If you have any other questions or concerns, please drop us an email (trfbackorders@gmail.com) and we will do our best to get back to you quickly.

4)  If you would like to help, please consider making a donation to the Armagh Fire Department. (https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-roadster-factory-recovery-fund?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer)

I will be back in touch soon.

best,
Albert
TRF

 

[stuart]

What happened to their loan scheme where you lent them money in exchange for discounts and preferential treatment?

Stuart.

[Tom Fremont]

1 hour ago, stuart said:

What happened to their loan scheme where you lent them money in exchange for discounts and preferential treatment?

Stuart.

SFAIK, the " scheme " was solvent when Charles died inasmuch as there were no reported defaults to that point. The loans were declared up front to be unsecured, but it was claimed that a life insurance policy was in place to cover the debt in the event of an " untimely " passing. This was apparently not so, at least in sufficient measure. 

There was a settlement ultimately, pursuant to liquidation of assets like the LeMans cars, Charles' TR5, the Coventry Inn etc. which repaid most of the outstanding debt. That some were not made whole is without doubt, as is the fact that some, if not many, made out very very well with interest payments and deeply discounted parts. I know I'm not alone in eschewing that " scheme " due to its financial defectiveness; i.e. it was obviously too generous to the lenders to be viable and portended insolvency.

Many of us feared that TRF would collapse with Charles' passing and the unfunded debt he left behind but Albert shepherded the affairs successfully until this fire. Many of us are fervently hoping he will resurrect it and resume TRF's unmatched record of dedication to our hobby and its sustenance. My own record of purchases is several inches thick, going back deep into the last century. Any who feel the same way ought to express it somehow, as this will certainly affect such a decision positively.

 

Tom