There may not be quite as much irony as you suggest. Isn't it true that in 2000, Silverton was just barely getting started at Bristol with Mr. Crook, while he has recently been able to follow his own lead, since Mr. Crook is no longer involved with Bristol?
I believe it would be pretty difficult to know just what the terms of the purchase and management authority were between those two gentlemen initially, and how they changed over time as Silverton's position strengthened.
Mr. Syd Lovesy, who was pre-Crook at Bristol, has outlasted Crook, and is very happy with Toby as his new owner, volunteered to me last October 17th that Mr. Crook had had no interest at all in doing this type of work on older cars (which certainly suggests that it had been discussed), but that Mr. Silverton did, and the plant staff were quite pleased with the concept and how it is working out.
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