Description
This motorcycle is Lot 384 - To be auctioned by Bonhams at The Spring Stafford Sale (The International Classic MotorCycle Show) on 26th & 27th April, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 101 - 147 are to be sold from 14:00 on Saturday 26th April 2025.
Lots 201 - 410 are to be sold from 11:00 on Sunday 27th April 2025.
Public Viewing:
Available 26th & 27th April 2025 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Stafford County Showground (The International Classic MotorCycle Show).
Lot 384
1931 Ariel 557cc Special
Registration no. 412 YUS
Frame no. D3235
Engine no. D168
Ariel's design department was blessed with a surfeit of talent as the Selly Oak firm entered the 1930s, Chief Designer Val Page having under his wing both Edward Turner and Bert Hopwood, the latter being then engaged in helping Turner with his projected Square Four. Perhaps not surprisingly then, the company's range for 1931 encompassed a dazzling variety of models: vertical engines, sloping engines, sidevalves, overhead valves - the latter either two or four per cylinder - all were represented along with the revolutionary Four. Two of the 'Slopers' - the overhead-valve 499cc Model SF31 and the sidevalve 557cc Model SB31 - employed engines inclined at 30 degrees from the horizontal, the unorthodox layout conveying the benefits of a lowered centre of gravity for improved handling, better cooling, and greater accessibility. Sadly, the models did not last long, the economic recession and Ariel's own sorry financial plight seeing the range slimmed down at the Slopers' expense for 1933.
This unique Ariel sidevalve was purchased as a dismantled project by the current vendor and put together over a number of years, painted purple as a reference to the Yamaha Cadbury's Boost superbike race team. The machine has been used on rallies in the UK, but not much history is known prior to the current vendors ownership. Offered with a V5C and history file.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
