Quote:
Originally Posted by RodKnock
So, is Dugly trying to say that Kirkham, a smart business person, didn't have exclusive rights to that Polish factory for every single Cobra made and that the Polish factory may have sold "knockoff" Kirkham Cobras to other buyers, who then shipped them from Poland to North America and one may have ended up in British Columbia?
|
Exactly…what I have heard is that BEFORE the plant was purchased by the Kirkhams it was producing frames and bodies and that anyone who had the cash could arrange for a frame/body combination to be shipped to them.
If the Kirkhams found this out, it
may have been the impetus for them to buy the factory and therefore have the exclusive rights to determine not only what would be built in that factory, but also to whom it could be sold. That would make sense to me if my business were to build the finest replicas available and I wanted to maintain that highly respected position…but until they
were the owners I believe that the Polish company (who had been making airplanes before the Kirkhams became a customer of their services) would have believed that they had the right to sell their products to whomever they found willing to fork over the money. Only the Kirkham brothers know if they were astute enough to include an exclusivity clause in their contract with the Polish company…if, indeed, there was a contract at all. In many of those middle-European countries business is still conducted under much less formal agreements than a written contract…and not only in Europe, here in the US there are many who engage in business dealings without anything more than a handshake. One of my neighbors across the street has been building VERY expensive structures (homes, mostly) for the past 30 years and he says he's never signed any kind of a contract.
BTW---the "story" that appeared in the post above is EXACTLY the story I read regarding the manner in which Kirkham became a CUSTOMER of that factory…until they bought it. If I had to guess I'd say I probably read it on Kirkham's website…I have frequented their website as I am a great admirer of their products!
Sorry…I'm not a "conspiracy theorist" and don't think there was any conspiracy, just believe that the Polish factory could have (and DID) sell to customers other than the Kirkhams until they were bought out. No conspiracy….
This may be a replica for which we will never know the origins. I'd almost bet a paycheck the Kirkhams could clear up the mystery…but I doubt that they will. If I'm right about them not having an exclusivity arrangement with the factory before they purchased it, they would almost assuredly not want for that to be common knowledge (as is their right!!!)
Their silence has been deafening
Cheers!
Dugly
