A British vehicle producer has disclosed liabilities of £2 million as it fell into administration, with amounts owed to Bentley Motors and the tax authority among the debts.
Hedley Studios Ltd, based in Bicester, which creates scaled-down electric replicas of vintage automobiles, had administrators appointed in March when most of its 74 staff members lost their jobs.
The company, which split from The Little Car Company in 2025, has now shown that as of April 15, it had creditor claims totalling £2,070,036.
The largest of these comprised £618,464 due to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, £191,535 owed to Bentley Motors and £56,111 to logistics company Pro-Logistics.
The complete register of its approximately 100 creditors has been filed in documents published on Companies House on April 28, which also provide additional context surrounding the company’s failure.
The administrator’s report, prepared by staff at Interpath, outlines how the company faced difficulties in late December 2025, prompting former owner Ben Hedley to acquire the shares from Island Capital LLC.
The investment group had previously orchestrated the purchase of the predecessor business, The Little Car Company.
Following the management buyout at the end of last year, Interpath was brought in to investigate potential sale and restructuring possibilities after a short-term funding shortfall was identified.
This indicated the company required immediate funds to meet imminent obligations, typically within a month, though this specific detail has not been verified.
A company representative stated that Interpath began the initial assessment by promoting the business to more than 250 industry and financial contacts.
The preliminary options process ultimately generated no proposals on either a solvent or insolvent basis.
Following this, administrators were appointed on March 4.
Certain business operations and assets were purchased by a related entity, Hedley Labs Limited, with £100,000 already received and an additional £150,000 expected in May.
This involved five staff members moving to the new company.
Regarding Hedley Studios and its remaining holdings, an Interpath representative commented that while all possibilities are being kept under review, the most probable outcome from administration is expected to be either dissolution or a creditors’ voluntary winding up.
They further noted that after a comprehensive sales effort, no proposals for rescuing the entire company emerged, making preservation of the business impossible.
Consequently, the main goal is to secure a more favourable outcome for all creditors compared to what would likely result from immediate liquidation.
Under its previous identity as The Little Car Company, it welcomed a royal visitor with Prince Michael of Kent test-driving some of the vehicles in 2024.
The company manufactures its vehicles through collaborations with premium brands, including Aston Martin, Bentley and Ferrari.