I don't think that's quite what he's saying. More, Fosca Mk I were an experiment - and once he saw managers &c approaching, he realised that were he to sign up for it, he'd be locked into that format long-term, which hadn't been the idea, and wasn't really desirable. And if you'd heard Fosca Mk I you really would understand.
After all, it's not as if he fled from success when it (apparently) came calling for Orlando!