<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;"><DIV>This is mail from Lon Wall Re: Corvair Underground's future.</DIV>
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<DIV>Copy and paste is included below<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>Garrie Fox</DIV>
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<DIV>> > For your information.<BR>> ><BR>> > January 07, 2009 4:09 PM<BR>> ><BR>> > Subject: CORVAIR UNDERGROUND 1974-2009<BR>> ><BR>> ><BR>> > CORVAIR UNDERGROUND<BR>> > 1974-2009<BR>> ><BR>> > It would be trite of me to say that this is the hardest letter I have<BR>> > ever had to write. It would be trite and, well, untrue as well. All of<BR>> > us have had negative events in our life, some worse than others. On a<BR>> > scale of negativity this letter ranks pretty high, but I've seen worse.<BR>> ><BR>> > In 1974 I was young and stupid. I started a part time business that, by<BR>> > any rational measure, looked like an eccentric lark. For reasons I still<BR>> > don't fully understand that excursion blossomed into a full fledged mail<BR>> > order business.<BR>> ><BR>> > When my 2nd wife and I separated in 1982 I almost lost the
business. But<BR>> > I kept stubbornly plugging away and, with the help of Linda (whom I<BR>> > married in 1983), managed to rebuild the Corvair Underground into a<BR>> > legitimate International player in the Corvair parts market.<BR>> ><BR>> > 35 years is a long time for any business to last, but very little lasts<BR>> > forever. 2009 marks the year that Linda and I will begin to liquidate<BR>> > our corporation. We've seen and had to make many changes in the way<BR>> > we've done things. That's how you survive 35 years.<BR>> ><BR>> > But the past 3 years have been just a bit much. First we tried to sell<BR>> > the business for somewhat less than it was worth. Then we tried to sell<BR>> > it for a lot less than it was worth. Then we almost gave it away. In<BR>> > every case the "serious" buyers passed up on a real opportunity, mostly<BR>> > because of a lack of
funds.<BR>> ><BR>> > I have had health problems before, but my heart/stroke surgery 2 years<BR>> > ago really threw a monkey wrench in everything. Add that to failed<BR>> > attempts to sell, losing my key employees in the process, and a general<BR>> > downturn in the economy has made the going rough. Truthfully I promised<BR>> > Linda Winter before last that we would not struggle through another<BR>> > Winter (Our traditionally slowest time of the year). And here we are.<BR>> ><BR>> > It's time for me to do something else. What that is, I have no idea. But<BR>> > I do know that it's time to wind this business down.<BR>> ><BR>> > Our intention is to have Corvair Underground <U>closed by late Spring</U> of<BR>> > this year. Whether that will be possible or not remains to be seen. Even<BR>> > though our operation is considerably smaller than our "heydays" of the<BR>>
> past 35 years, there is still an unbelievable amount of inventory here.<BR>> > I would still claim that we are the second largest inventory of new and<BR>> > reproduced Corvair parts in the world. We also have about a quarter mile<BR>> > of shelving and a lot of other equipment and stuff.<BR>> ><BR>> > Is there a buyer out there? Time's running out. I may have to dump all<BR>> > this stuff on the open market and though "garage" sales. Not really<BR>> > looking forward to that.<BR>> ><BR>> > If you have even a passing interest in our clearance make sure you're<BR>> > signed up for our electronic NEWS. It's free and easy. Just log into our<BR>> > website at <A href="http://www.corvairunderground.com/" target=_blank><SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1231517975_0><FONT color=#003399>www.corvairunderground.com</FONT></SPAN></A>. That will be the primary way I<BR>> > will be announcing
open house sales dates and other breaking news.<BR>> ><BR>> > So far as continuing to take and process your mail orders - that will<BR>> > not change at all. A number of our reproduced items will NOT be replaced<BR>> > and some inventory that requires large purchase commitments will not be<BR>> > replaced either. In the meantime we'll keep processing orders for the<BR>> > foreseeable future just as we have since 1974.<BR>> ><BR>> > Has Corvair Underground been a positive force in the Corvair parts<BR>> > market these past 35 years? Well, the age of self-promotion of my<BR>> > business has ended for me. Other people and history will answer that<BR>> > question, eventually.<BR>> ><BR>> > Lon Wall<BR></DIV></td></tr></table>