1957 Ariel Square Four

Description

• UNSOLD AT AUCTION February 2024
• Please contact Evoke for more information / to arrange a viewing : team@evoke-classics.com
• 1,000cc engine
• Ariel Owners Club Authenticity Certificate
• Rebuilt by Ariel enthusiasts
• Minimal miles since the rebuild

“It’s all so effortless. I can barely believe the bike I’m riding is half a century old. On the open road, the Ariel Square Four is at home in modern traffic in a way that most classic British motorcycles cannot approach. It purrs along smoothly at 60mph, accelerates briskly out of roundabouts with barely a need to use its slick gearbox, and feels more up-to-date and sophisticated than many bikes half its age”.

That was the review by Roland Brown, journalist for ‘Motorcycle Classics’ Magazine, when he rode an Ariel Square Four. Innovative, glamorous and historically very significant. These are legendary motorcycles.

Background

The Square Four was Ariel’s most famous bike. The exceptional 997cc engine, was designed by the genius Edward Turner. The powerful, torquey engine made it popular for a whole host of reasons, not least its unheard-of top speed of 100mph. It was without doubt one of the best bikes of the entire British motorcycle industry.

History

• First registered – 19 April 1957
• Registered to Elite Motors, Tooting, London
• That would suggest it could have been a Dealer demo bike
• Restored by an Ariel enthusiast who was the previous owner

When the vendor went to view the Ariel, he found it living in the front room of the enthusiast who had rebuilt it. Of course, it was!

The vendor tells us, “There isn’t much paperwork. As I understand it, the previous owner had a friend at the Owners Club, who restored and/or assisted in the restoration. He has sadly since passed away, hence the dearth of paperwork”.

Exterior

• Chrome and Maroon paintwork
• Gold coachlines
• Dual seat
• Tank pads with logo
• Powder coated frame
• Original chrome rims
• New spokes

Although this Ariel Square Four has been rebuilt, when we chatted in detail to the vendor about the bike, he was quick to say to us, “It’s not concours”. Having said that, he did tell us he wanted to change the rear footrests’ rubbers. Apparently, the pegs are right, but the rubbers were not. To be honest, we’ve never fully understood the meaning of the term concours. At that time, we hadn’t seen the images. Now we have, our view is – it is bloomin’ lovely! Have a look, we think you’ll struggle to disagree. Whether it’s concours or not, it definitely looks like a show winner.

The innovative design of the Ariel Square Four meant it was slim and more manageable than other in-line fours. There’s a battery on the left powering the 6V electrics and from a fairly low seat height, you look down on a superbly styled, black-faced Smith’s speedometer, with gauges either side.

The Square Four’s reputation for sophistication hits you straight away. Turn the ignition on and apply choke to the Solex carburettor and the Ariel fires with a pleasant and distinctive sound coming from the twin pipes. The vendor tells us: “The bike starts first time, rides beautifully”.

The unique swooping chrome teardrop design on the chrome-over-maroon tank just tops the whole package off.

Mechanicals

We’re told the restoration of the Ariel Square Four included:

• Overhauled Engine
• Bottom end and top end rebuilt
• New chain
• New pistons
• New cam
• Wheels re-laced
• New exhaust end caps

As you can see from the images, the mechanicals all look to be in good order.

Additional information

The Ariel Owners Club Authenticity Certificate is included. The data they provide, we assume comes via archived factory records. It states the engine number to be an ‘NM’ prefix, which aligns to the GM frame number. The engine in this Ariel is an earlier Ariel TM engine. Of course, this is not uncommon on a classic of this age.

The Ariel Owners Club inspection states “It is confirmed that the vehicle is a true reflection of the marque”. The DVLA recorded numbers match the bike.

Summary

Pull away and you know you’re riding something different. Something special. That is helped in no small part to the attention this Ariel has had heaped on it.

We are delighted our vendor Paddy has trusted us to bring this to market.

Very rarely does an Ariel like this come to market.  The wide-ranging work carried is there for you to see and speaks for itself. Good luck bidding on this very sought after classic bike.

Vehicle Location: Hull, East Yorkshire HU9 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor