Reference

Tom Cooper sold Henry Ford's share of their partnership in 1902 because the cars they were producing were initially temperamental and not performing well in races. This led to financial difficulties for the partnership. According to the Wikipedia page on Tom Cooper, "The cars were initially temperamental and Ford sold his share of their partnership to Cooper in October 1902. This was just days before Cooper entered them in a race which they won, and as a result, the value of the company increased significantly." The victory in the race improved the company's prospects, but by that time, Ford was no longer a part of it. This decision by Ford to sell his share, albeit due to the car's initial poor performance, turned out to be a missed opportunity as the subsequent success of the race could have potentially been very profitable for Ford. Source: Tom Cooper (cyclist) - Wikipedia