Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Howard
Hmm, but you said;
Anyway, putting that self contradiction aside for a minute ...
What was this information and does he say how was it 'verified'?
It is an interesting story, but how do you know Jonathan got it right?
For a start it conflicts with the Jenkinson account, who described the drawings and engines that the Aldingtons brought back from Germany as "prizes", in other words, the spoils of war. There was no suggestion of any payment at all. The official Bristol/White line has always been that they were "war reparations".
Clearly only one of these stories can be correct. Is it;
(a) the Aldingtons unofficially grabbed what "prizes" they could because the Americans had ordered the whole plant to be crated up ready for shipment, or
(b) if was official "war reparations" and all completely above board; or
(c) it was a purchase and Bristol paid BMW for it.
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I dip my toes in these shark-infested waters with some trepidation but I would like to point out that the information that Bristol paid comes from "BMW 328: From Roadster to Legend" by Rainer Simons which is referenced by Jonathan Wood as the source of the information. My German version of this excellent book was first published by BMW Mobile Tradition in 1996 so presumably Rainer Simons had full access to BMW archives.
LJKS himself in "A Private Car" published in 1998 gives similar information on page 38 in footnote 45. Maybe he also read the BMW book!
My point is that this story has been out there for at least 10 years so is hardly new!
Kevin, I think your view that only one of the alternatives a), b) or c) could have been true is too simple. Bearing in mind the chaotic situation after the end of the war both in the UK and Germany, I am sure that it is a mixture of all three.
I rest my case!
Richard