Get Red Robbo back on the road!
Donation protected
"Vintage Mail Van in Cash Machine Ram Raid" That was the incredible headline we awoke to on Wednesday 1st August 2018. Having just starred at the Classic Van and Pick Up Show at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, the sole-surviving Post Office specification Austin Maestro van had been stolen from a garage that were supposed to be fixing a leaking fuel pump and, unbelievably, used as the "get away car" in a ram raid on our local Co-Op!
"Red Robbo" was built at Austin-Rover Longbridge in 1987 and is the last operational Maestro Mail van from a single batch of 70 made.He is a unique vehicle, at one time ear-marked for the national collection, but never taken up.
Red Robbo suffered substantial damage as the raiders loaded a one ton cash machine into the load space and drove into the middle of field, demolishing a fence post under the front bumper in the process. It took 6 weeks to get the van back from the Police after it was recovered and this incurred a statutory charge of £450 for recovery and storage. The repairs are going to cost nearly £5000 and Robbo will need a full respray and all new decals as he has sustained damage to just about every panel, as you can see here:
The restoration team have sourced, paid for and relocated a second non-running Maestro to act as a parts source in addition to buying a complete set of locks to replace those damaged by the thieves.
So why are we asking you for money to help with this restoration now? Well, Lancaster Insurance were the brokers who should have arranged for Red Robbo to be insured on an Agreed Value basis. However, they claim that they never received the photographs of the vehicle in its final concours condition and so the van remained insured for only £1500 – considerably less than the £8000 already spent on the first restoration. This is not a situation that can be solved through negotiation with the Insurers – believe me, we’ve tried. So we are asking all those friends of Red Robbo who would like to see him back on the Rally and Display circuit to dig in to their pockets to help get him back on the road. Our goal is to finish the second restoration in time for the Aldham Old Tyme Rally in Essex on Saturday 8th June. We have the parts, we have the quotes, we just need the dosh!
All donors will receive a Certificate and our undying love; anyone donating £50 or more will receive a Certificate and an exclusive "I love Red Robbo" enamel pin badge. Please help if you can to get him back on the road....
"Red Robbo" was built at Austin-Rover Longbridge in 1987 and is the last operational Maestro Mail van from a single batch of 70 made.He is a unique vehicle, at one time ear-marked for the national collection, but never taken up.
Red Robbo suffered substantial damage as the raiders loaded a one ton cash machine into the load space and drove into the middle of field, demolishing a fence post under the front bumper in the process. It took 6 weeks to get the van back from the Police after it was recovered and this incurred a statutory charge of £450 for recovery and storage. The repairs are going to cost nearly £5000 and Robbo will need a full respray and all new decals as he has sustained damage to just about every panel, as you can see here:
The restoration team have sourced, paid for and relocated a second non-running Maestro to act as a parts source in addition to buying a complete set of locks to replace those damaged by the thieves.
So why are we asking you for money to help with this restoration now? Well, Lancaster Insurance were the brokers who should have arranged for Red Robbo to be insured on an Agreed Value basis. However, they claim that they never received the photographs of the vehicle in its final concours condition and so the van remained insured for only £1500 – considerably less than the £8000 already spent on the first restoration. This is not a situation that can be solved through negotiation with the Insurers – believe me, we’ve tried. So we are asking all those friends of Red Robbo who would like to see him back on the Rally and Display circuit to dig in to their pockets to help get him back on the road. Our goal is to finish the second restoration in time for the Aldham Old Tyme Rally in Essex on Saturday 8th June. We have the parts, we have the quotes, we just need the dosh!
All donors will receive a Certificate and our undying love; anyone donating £50 or more will receive a Certificate and an exclusive "I love Red Robbo" enamel pin badge. Please help if you can to get him back on the road....
Organizer
Stephen Knight
Organizer
England
