If you "Got caught between a rock and a hard place" by "importing" a gray
market automobile without first determining just what was necessary to make
it legal and finding out who the people were that specialized in doing those
conversions, I would say that your problems were largely of your own making.
Both Bill Fink and Win Sharples started their business to import new Morgans
into the United States, not to federalize gray market cars. As far as I
know, neither does today, though Win may have started doing so since he
branched out into used cars and restorations. Though the bottom line may
have been the same (we sell new cars and do not federalize Gray market cars)
I would imagine that Bill's response to your inquiry was more cordial that
if you walked into Mercedes Benz, North America and asked if they would
federalize your Gray market 450SL (once they stopped laughing).
You may have met Bill, but you do not "understand him fairly well" if you
think that he refused to federalize your Gray market car in an attempt to
protect his customer base. If you do a little math you will soon see that
Bill's margin after the cost of parts, his staff and rent on the "pokey
little hole down on Pier 33" did not pay for his house in Bodega Bay.
Win Sharples does deserve credit (perhaps equal) for keeping Morgans
currently available in the USA but Win started his business nearly ten years
after Bill broke the ground with the Federal Government and paved the way
for new Morgans again being available here.
I have known both Win and Bill since before they began importing (and
federalizing) new Morgans. Both of them knew the size of the market (and
how many cars they could get from the Works) and both are astute enough
(Bill was a Rhodes scholar, though with our president as an example, perhaps
that is no longer a recommendation) to know that they were not going to get
rich (or even make a decent living) solely from importing Morgans. Both of
them were Morgan enthusiasts first and remain so today.
It is certainly true that the Morgan is no longer a "reasonable priced"
Sports Car (there are no reasonably priced Sports Cars) but that is not due
to the premium charged in the US market for making the changes required by
our government.
I do not know what your hard on is for Melvyn Rutter other than perhaps he
is successful. He is certainly not the UK equivalent of either Bill or Win.
Melvyn makes his money, as does Bob Couch and Linda Eckler, at Morgan Spares
by providing otherwise unobtainable spares to enthusiasts all over the
world.
Nuff said!
Gerry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kit Hildreth [SMTP:krisbox@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 1999 9:17 AM
> To: CHarris990@aol.com
> Cc: morgans@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Smoggin' & stuff
>
> Let me just say that I "imported" my Mog from UK and got caught between a
> rock & a hard place as the saying goes. As for venting @ USG, you may take
>
> that as a given! Nevertheless, I do not withdraw my criticism of Bill Fink
>
> or his UK equivelent Melvin Rutter both of whom I've met and understand
> fairly well I think. Morgans may be a"niche market", but a market they are
>
> nonetheless. Fink's attitude was "Well, you sell your car and I'll get you
> a
> new one, but all parts are for my new cars only". Had he sold me the parts
>
> and or modified my car for me - I was willing to pay - I would have been
> happy to replace MOGS at some stage by doing what he suggested. If I ever
> do
> that , I shall be buying one from Cantab Motors who deserve equal credit
> in
> some ways and have put more into being a dealership etc from what I've
> seen
> from their Web site; whereas Fink has this poky little hole down on Pier
> 33(?) and lives in Bodega Bay (PRIME real estate, believe me). To my mind
> he
> simply went out of his way to preserve his income base. Nothing wrong with
>
> that, but he deserves no special consideration from my perspective, except
>
> perhaps for having proved with sufficient persistance it can be done.
> Sorry.
> Certainly between them they have ensured that a Morgan is no longer a
> reasonably priced Sports Car in the US, but times being what they are,
> perhaps that's wishful thinking on my part. Right! Winge & moan over!
> Kit
> '77 Plus 8 RHD(UK model)
> R8272
> *******
> "
> Kit,
> The only reason that your car exist in the states is because of Bill
> Fink and
> his endeavors to make Morgans available. I find your view that
> that makes
> him a poor Morganeer rather hollow. I think your proper vent
> should be at
> the damn yankee government.
> Harris
>
> "
>
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