Part 2
My OMC fall out 1976.
..so a few days later I was finally told the facts but very secret..because legal action was going on from mostly Huzells side.
In the fall of 1976 OMC invited all Swedish Evinrude dealers (around 200) to a meeting at Malmen Hotel in Stockholm.
OMC introduced a British expert in how to stop Japanese companies taking over market shares from US and European companies in Europe..
All the dealers was thinking the same thing..WOW..British..??..they did really poorly saving Norton, Triumph etc in the British motorcycle business..they where already gone 1976..
OMC was told by this British company to kick out the distributors like Huzells and AGB..(Johnson) and open up OMC controlled subsidiary/ daughter companies in most of the European counties. This was the future.
As of January 1 1977 OMS Sweden was now going to run Evinrude/Johnson in Sweden.
Only good thing in my opinion was a few weeks later OMC told us my friend Bengt Nilsson from Huzells Marin was going to be the CEO for OMS Sweden.
As a dealer we got plenty of mail regarding OMS Sweden policies etc.
The new OMC Europe racing policy was everything must be run by the European racing boss in Brygge..OMS Sweden could not support racing..This was it for me…!!
A few days later I met up with my old friend Rutger Friberg..he was in charge of Volvo Penta outboards based in Gotenburg. Roger Jenkins was already running Volvo Penta/Konig in the UIM OE class and did great.
Rutger was a powerful man within Volvo and a yacht sailing friend with Per Gyllenhammar the CEO for Volvo Cars.
A few weeks later I signed a great deal with Volvo Penta of Sweden..a few steps better than the ones I use to have with Huzells.
Racing International and local in the UIM OE/F3 class with full support from Gert Lowisin & Dieter König.
I told my friend Bengt Nilsson the CEO for the just started OMS Sweden..He was disappointed and said its going to hurt your Evinrude sales.
Well..what Bengt and OMC did not know was…
Billy Huzell.. a very smart pissed off business man..he was not going to roll over and play dead..
Billy traveled to Japan..signed a deal with Suzuki outboards to be the distributor not only for Suzuki outboards but also Suzuki motorcycles starting early 1977.
AGB..the former Johnson distributor signed a deal with Brunswick to be the distributor for Mariner in Sweden.
The same thing happened in most European countries..
OMC got what they wanted but opened the door big time for the Japanese outboards..
For sure this big OMC mistake was in my opinion the start for OMC’s down spiral..
First picture is Rutger Friberg and me.
Second: Rutger and Per Gyllenhammar
Here is the letter from OMC Racing in Brygge, Belgium January, 1977.
Says it all..
The OMC sales department in Belgium was helpful but not the racing department.
