Daventry manufacturer sold to Liberty

The steel processing group behind the acquisitions of Covpress and Caparo has bought Daventry-based vehicle control systems business, Shiftec, which is being renamed Liberty Shiftec.

The acquisition is expected to give the business access to cutting-edge mechatronics.

To further underline it capabilities within the automotive sector, the group is also to develop the hypercar originally proposed by the former Caparo until its demise.

The car, dubbed ‘T1 Evo by Liberty’, is intended to showcase the engineering strengths of the expanding group.

Early development of the hypercar, which still holds the original Top Gear track record, has been undertaken by Liberty’s own engineering team in collaboration with Daventry-based race-car design specialists JRM Group.

The developments coincide with the anniversary of the Liberty group in 1992 and the formal inauguration of Liberty Pressing Solutions, the business derived from the former Covpress.

Liberty acquired the Covpress by business from administrators – saving 750 jobs in the process – in January.