Basildon Essex is home to FP1 (Foggy Petronas) production bikes!

This weeks Motorcycle news (UK) has a double paged article on the Petronas production motorbike, the FP1.
Foggy Petronas FP1

It was designed and manufactured by MSXI based in Basildon,Essex. This is actually very close to where I live in the UK.
MSXI set up initially in Pitsea, also near my home over a Barclays bank branch. Shelley Jackson, a recruiter now based in Norfolk, was an early representative.
I quote from the article:
'The business that produced the first batch has since changed hands,but the bikes are still there, now in the possession Arrk R&D, which also retains key MSXI staff who worked on the FPI.'
The article goes on to say...
In fact, the FP1 did go on sale in 2005- but only one dealership, in Malaysia called Naza Bikers Dream- where a pair were still for sale in 2009 for £31,433 each ...
Auction House, Bonhams values them at about £15-25,000 as they are so rare. In January 2003 75 road bikes were built by MSXI in July 2003 a second batch passes homologation (Doesn't say how many). The article quotes a former MSXI employee,Tony White as saying ' It was a great project to work onthat culminated in the build of 150 great bikes-'The final paragraph goes on to state:
So keen are they (Petronas) to distance themselves from the abortive project do they appear to be, even the rights to the intellectual property in the bikes have been assigned to an apparently unrelated firm- the mysterious Isle of Man- registered Brumby Corporation.
I found this article interesting. I would have loved to get these bikes for Motorsport University Malaysia. The Math data would have been interesting to use. The whole history could be used as a lesson in risk management and the Motorsport business.

Petronas are hugely successful in Oil and Gas. They are however heavily involved in both education and Motorsport. Whilst we all love to brag about our successes, it is often from our failure that we learn the most!