Zenos gave us Ford engine-packing track day toys. With carbon fiber tubs and aluminum spines, they were stripped out, British and offered a raw driving experience. It even starred on an episode of The Grand Tour. But that doesn’t matter anymore because the company is now bankrupt.


A statement from Zenos asserts that representatives from professional consultant company Begbies Traynor LLP have been appointed as Joint Administrators earlier this week. The company will manage Zenos’ remaining business and property.


Zenos managing director Mark Edwards, who used to work at Caterham and Lotus, said, according to Top Gear, “It is with great disappointment that the board has had to take this step. We still believe that our products offer unrivaled affordable fun, and we have already made very good progress in developing the next product in our strategy.”

Top Gear reports that allegedly canceled export orders at the end of last year forced Zenos to stop trading.

The future of the company remains unclear. We have reached out to Begbies Traynor LLP for comment and will update if we hear back.


Recall—because it wasn’t that long ago—that James May had a Zenos during the Morocco episode of The Grand Tour. He enjoyed it immensely and Jeremy Clarkson had this to say about it:

“D’you know what worries me, most of all?” he asked Richard Hammond. “It’s the poor little man whose mortgaged his house to start Zenos... and he’s lent it to us on the television.”


I guess there’s always Caterham.