Automobile Entrepreneur Builds A Business After Serious Accident | Dragons' Den

Ex-Fireman Andy Bates set up a car manufacturing and servicing business after suffering a serious accident a few years ago. He's seeking an investment of £50,000 in exchange for 10% of his company, AB Performance. Will The Dragons want to accelerate the business?
Season 9, Episode 6
An international sensation, Dragon's Den features entrepreneurs pitching for investment in the Den from our Dragons, five venture capitalists willing to invest their own money in exchange for equity.
#DragonsDen #Cars #Motorsport

[@SuperArmus]

Best pitch I have seen on this show. The guy was super nice, honest and professional.

[@b-dogs1038]

Yes a down to earth presenter & no frills pitch

[@kierandesouza7678]

like they all appear to be, you seen his company's net worht? almost - £200.000k haha

[@RebinQaderi]

Agree

[@RebinQaderi]

Well-headed

[@LOrealHardly]

If there was ever an entrepeneur to invest in it's this guy, amazing composure and pitch. confident but humble.

[@TheArccore]

But did you see how MASSIVE Peter is next to him !

[@zlatkostevanovic5891]

@@TheArccore because peter is 6'7 what do you expect

[@967mviews2]

Back in the day when entrepreneurs dressed in suits asking for investment to be taken seriously, unlike these days when they rock up in scruffy jeans and t-shirts asking for £1m for 1% equity 🤦🏻‍♂️😅

[@JazzyMarineVet]

Exactly. I wish the Dragons and sharks would tell them to put their best foot forward. Unless the pitch is about beach wear, outdoors or some clothing connected to their product or service, they should give their best professional look. This guy could have worn a race car drivers uniform with gloves and a helmet and that would have been appropriate.

[@tattoodrdoke]

The dragons are interest in profit. If a business is profitable and can demonstrate sustainable growth they will invest. Having a suit doesn't mean your business is doing well. It's a very old fashioned approach to matters. A nice suit and a firm handshake are the bench marks of success 🤔 🤣 😂

[@MrZeldion]

Depends though. Dragons, particularly Debra has complimented people for showing off their style, or personality. She's also stated she loves when someone comes in and shows personality. Which lacks often when things are usually very formal. I think context matters. If your coming in to pitch for a high up beat fun business etc then something to show off the brand or the kind of energy you want is fine also. Some of the best pitches have been done by people who have worn casual clothing

[@version736ha2]

Spot on

[@yeetusfeetus7877]

This video is 7 hours old and suits are still a very, VERY common thing.

[@wooly1950]

Hope it goes well for Andy, such a humble and nice guy

[@dangen4]

sadly the company got disolved in 2020 with a net los of about 350k

[@raalaa121]

So many classic episodes I never watched the first time round, this channel is amazing.

[@freedomutopuia]

I'm so shocked to see a Den pitch I haven't seen before!!

[@thomasagnew8534]

Anyone else obsessed with these videos?

[@michaelsheridan2564]

Yes can't stop watching either lol

[@hamza361]

Been watching this show religiously since like 2009

[@youngma5296]

yes

[@davidmg1925]

yes

[@georgev56]

There’s a reason they made so many seasons…

[@nikkicole3331]

What a genuine nice guy. He is a great example of someone who suffered so much physical and emotional pain who could have just given up and instead has done something phenomenal. You set a great example! Cheers from the U.S.

[@kevinprior3549]

You can tell he suffered a bad injury.

[@johnhewett9483]

what a nice fella i wish him all the succes in his endeavours

[@Sam-xq8xh]

Covid ended them at the end of 2020 unfortunately. Their brand has since been bought

[@Mogamishu]

@@Sam-xq8xh Covid did not end them. The response to Covid and the draconian Covid policies are what ended it.

[@KF2NationalKartcrg]

@@Sam-xq8xh I have had the chance to race in one of Andy's cars for a year and a half and the spirit of him and the business is still alive here in Denmark today. Andy is such a good fella with lots of passion and wisdom in this field - I hope he one day will be back here with more good stories to tell!

[@randomchannel5686]

I just love Duncan’s smirk at 10:45 😂

[@hamza361]

The deal did close in the end but eventually Peter decided to step away from the company. AB Performance went out of business last year. It was a very niche market.

[@Nick-7432]

Thank you 👍

[@illuderebeliarh1260]

well, the episode is from 2015 so they had a 7 year run. Probably made some money but couldnt deal with Covid.

[@hamza361]

@@illuderebeliarh1260 definitely not 2015 before that.

[@cesilko007]

AB performasce for BMW is legend

[@vonder7]

@@Dontworryaboutit23 2011

[@NomadEntrepreneur]

Talk about turning a negative into a positive! 💪 This automobile entrepreneur took a devastating accident and turned it into a successful business. The Dragons better watch out, this one's got determination!

[@devicebackup664]

Peter Jones is all about presentation, however in the newer episodes, most of the entrepreneurs come dressed casually

[@atulminocha]

Best guy after a long time. He is truly honest.

[@phil8145]

How do they keep releasing these old pitches I've never seen! Are they using a time machine to make more?!

[@dannytrebilcock9774]

I thought the same! Pretty sure I've seen every single episode but every now and then I get surprised.

[@LeoTomass]

Wow .. well deserved !! Hoping this man is making the fortune he deserves.

[@Billy_B]

What a nice guy, hope he does well

[@peaty32]

Excellent composure, great pitch. May be a niche play though.

[@trudoug]

Now that was worth seeing!

[@bullit-edd]

Got to agree he is nice, well dressed and polite, you dont see many like him

[@CKD3332]

Duncan made an outrageous offer on purpose, so that the guy would ignore the high percentage Peter asked for in the first place. It didn't even really give him a choice of even bringing Peter down. This was clearly staged for Peter to get the deal.

[@cekojuna6930]

If any Duncan made the higher offer based on risk assessment. Surprise surprise! He is right! The company failed! Rigged in favour of Peter my butt, he set it up for him to fail. If you paid attention, if the guy actually believed in his business to succeed Duncan’s offer is the best one by far. He chose Peter because it’s just a safer option and he doesn’t need to meet those targets. In other words, Duncan knows his business isn’t sustainable.

[@yajurVeda]

The bloke was top!

[@kevindevilliers3572]

Great guy.

[@gtmode6947]

What a cool guy

[@Horizon344]

Something went wrong here, the business never got off the ground & it ceased trading after 10 years in 2022.

[@TheManInBlueFlames]

10 years is a long time.

[@Horizon344]

@@TheManInBlueFlames It was a v. small company in that time doing little business.

[@ThePrimeMinisterOfTheBlock]

That Peter sure is tall

[@FZA1980]

Top guy wish him all the best

[@Clipahoy]

Rest in peace Hilary

[@imanishay]

Duncans face 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@nigelwilliams9307]

What a nice guy.

[@anubusx]

I really want one of those.

[@Farquad76.547]

Bot

[@dreo6769]

Wow. The guy was even sweating

[@bartbounce7205]

Good story, good profit, good valuation & fun product. Can t believe not all the dragons were fighting for this deal. Offcourse Duncan & Peter took a shot.

[@RockyDave]

0:10 Cover comes off the car... I'm in! Anyone know what bike engines he used in the cars? I'm guessing big straight four engines like the Suzuki Hayabusa.

[@gideonMorrison]

Lawnmower ones

[@RockyDave]

@@gideonMorrison Er... no.

[@barbaramelone1043]

@@gideonMorrison Those are Trabants.

[@KF2NationalKartcrg]

Honda CBR engines mainly

[@kylepinner5372]

This pitch a great, but unfortunately this dragons den episode is so old. Hope the guy is doing well today

[@Sam-xq8xh]

I don't know about the guy but unfortunatly the business went at the end of 2020, following a year of race tracks being closed due to Covid. The brand (AB Performance) has since been bought byMK Sportscars and Kit Car Direct

[@euroyaya8792]

This guy was swarve 👌🏽

[@HAn-ie2zp]

Anyone know how it went for this business?

[@Chi_Vid1]

it went bust 2020

[@74aamer]

Oh I know Peter loves cars

[@greatergoodfijithegreaterg6272]

The business is already netting 100K and Peter buys in at 143K evaluation - Does not seem fair.

[@richardjennings7050]

They the sharks are cheap bastards

[@yannick9473]

Good guy. Deserves better.

[@olnium]

This guy sounds like Brian from Brian Farnet 🤣

[@dannyholmes5156]

I heard Jenny bought this car so I thought I'd go around there to make sure yet everytime I do visit it's never there She must constantly be out

[@mrali5196]

Just imagine if she batted for the English cricket team...... She'd be out

[@leeporter4199]

This man is smoother than melted butter 🏎️🧈

[@jessebella9322]

Can I have one? OK fine, let me drink just a tiny bit of the fuel? Give me a glass, just a drop, ok give me the steering wheel, ANYTHING, I WILL TAKE ANYTHING Producers: For god sake JENNY, you are not even in this episode... Please just get out and go home!!!!!

[@jamesyboy4626]

Duncan was just exposing him, if he knew he would hit his targets Duncan was the better offer. That's why he went with Peter pretty fast and didn't even try and negotiate with him lol. Maybe Peter does have a good idea and he'll make it work who knows. My guess is Duncan saw through it and it will fail.

[@CabbageYe]

It says the company dissolved in 2022

[@loopykill]

50k is pennies to some of these guys, 35% for his whole business lol greedy

[@donjoe2661]

Company dissolved in Sept 22

[@LunchMeatTrump]

I didn't know that Jason Statham was on dragons den

[@comicbookdude]

Did Peter Jones have his hair dyed black?

[@davidlinderman7166]

Who shall be unusually quiet today?!

[@over50andfantabulous59]

Company dissolved September 2022.

[@Kiwionwing]

They joke in car industry How to make a million Start with 10 million

[@cookieassassin12]

I feel like we’re in the 2000s 😂

[@Barberdon2022]

Peters the man and always will be

[@willowwren7752]

Another very old one 😢

[@shedddddddd]

Looks like company folded 13/9/22

[@kevinprior3549]

You can tell Andy had a bad injury. He does look like he is gingerly walking around. Which is understandable.

[@team3383]

Ancient content.

[@alanhill769]

If you want to learn the true cost of money, try and borrow some. Especially in a pool filled with hungry sharks, just waiting to consume it's prey.

[@thealien_ali3382]

This guy is g

[@BruceWat]

It seems AB Performance (owned by Andy Bates) was rather successful, but went bust in 2020 due to covid. The name AB Performance may still be on the market, but it is no longer owned by Andy. From what I looked up MK Sportscars and Kit Car Direct have taken the brand.

[@KF2NationalKartcrg]

Correct - Though one of his car models (Arion S2) was bought and brought over to Denmark, where a small scale production has been started. Among the three, the spirit of Andy is still alive.

[@neilpa]

Looks like Kelly Hoppen's out....

[@neilpa]

@Michael Terrell looks like you need to go put your tampon back in....

[@neilpa]

@Michael Terrell go put it back in and calm down

[@BenjaminGoose]

which one is kelly hoppen?

[@richardanthonygilbey]

BrrrrrVroom

[@peterdooley667]

The robbing dragons cartel 3 say no to set up a deal for the egotistical Peter

[@YvonneCullen]

Stripped him out of order

[@peterreber7671]

Debra could not possibly invest on ecological grounds, creating CO2 emissions for fun.

[@BenjaminGoose]

There is no dragon called "debra".

[@goodnessbassey1378]

🤣🤣

[@sjohnston4272]

First comment

[@ImARealHumanPerson]

🥇

[@bourbon2242]

@@ImARealHumanPerson you are a robot my friend