AN internationally renowned Kingswinford sportscar company that has been pioneering the development of self-driving vehicles has gone into administration.

Mark Bowen of MB Insolvency has been appointed as administrator of Westfield Sports Cars Limited and Westfield Autonomous Vehicles Limited, a notice says on the website of Westfield Sportscars based in Dudley Road.

It’s understood the company ceased trading on June 8 and Mr Bowen of Worcestershire based MB Insolvency was appointed as administrator the following day but the reason for the firm’s demise has not been given.

A statement on the website of Westfield Sportscars says: “Mark Bowen of MB Insolvency was appointed as administrator of Westfield Sports Cars Limited and Westfield Autonomous Vehicles Limited.

"Mark Bowen is licensed to act as an insolvency practitioner by the Insolvency Practitioners Association.

“The affairs, business and property of the companies (in administration) are managed by the administrator, who acts as an agent of the companies and without personal liability. Creditors can contact the administrator’s office at information@mb-i.co.uk.”

Mr Bowen said there has already been an “encouraging level of interest shown in the company’s remaining assets” and he added: “We’re liaising with a number of parties at the moment to see if anybody is interested in the assets and possibly trying to resurrect something here.”

It is not known how many jobs have been lost as a result of the closure of the company, which has sold more than 13,000 of its British-made sportscars across the world since 1983 and which had been steering forward the development of the autonomous vehicle industry – with its revolutionary driverless electric pods picked up to ferry passengers at Heathrow Airport.

The company had also been trialling a driverless road sweeper.