The internet is fantastic tool but sometimes it can make the customers somewhat remote from the people they are dealing with, consequently I thought I would just jot down a few notes about myself so that prospective owners can get some idea who is at the other end of the phone..or modem!

I’ve been married for 20 years and have three children, all boys, the eldest of whom has just entered the family business and runs our composite facility. I started the company about 10 years ago, having recently been introduced to Mike Burrows and been completely bowled over by the Windcheetah, a design which Mike had been producing in tiny numbers in his Norfolk workshop since 1982. At the time I casually mentioned to Mike that if he ever wanted to license the Windcheetah for production I would be interested in discussing it with him. I forgot all about our conversation until 6 months later when Mike called out of the blue to say that he had been offered a job with Giant Cycles as a designer and would I like to take on the Windcheetah… he didn’t need to repeat the question!

In between running the factory and test riding Windcheetahs [a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it….] I also manage to fit in some mountain biking, usually in the beautiful and rugged Peak District area which is about 45 minutes drive from the factory. I usually try to get to the States at least once a year to participate in one of the big rides such as the Seattle to Portland Classic or the Ragbrai….always on a Windcheetah of course. These rides present a great opportunity to met old friends and make new ones.

I also have a passion for classic cars and motorcycles and usually spend my evenings in the garage tinkering with one of my various projects. This helps me relax and takes my mind away from the stresses and strains of running a busy factory. I’m a great believer in making sure that my old vehicles get regular and frequent exercise and I like to compete in speed events with them…the word ‘compete’ is used in its loosest possible term as I’m normally to found wobbling around somewhere at the back of the field. You will notice that the car I compete with has a wheelplan that bears an uncanny resemblance to a Windcheetah!

My first love is still the Windcheetah, and I must confess that even after ten years intensive exposure to them I still get a tremendous buzz from just looking at them. I consider myself to be incredibly fortunate to have been entrusted with its continued development and hope that my passion for high performance machinery is somehow reflected in the way that AVD continue to evolve and develop this amazing vehicle.


Enthusiasts are always welcome to contact me directly at bob@windcheetah.co.uk