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£2,800 - £3,200
1959 Ariel VB, 598 cc. Registration number SFO 860 (non transferable). Frame number CAPR 13700. Engine number LD 673.
By 1930 Ariel's new single-cylinder range, designed by the great Val Page, had gained a rear-mounted magneto and its distinctive timing cover, and the basic engine design - though frequently revised - would last well into the post-war era. Both overhead-valve and sidevalve versions were made, though there was only one of the latter in Ariel's post-war line-up: the 600cc VB, a long-stroke workhorse. First introduced for 1936 and intended for sidecar use, the VB was regularly updated along with the rest of the Ariel singles, gaining plunger rear suspension, a telescopic front fork and, finally, a swinging-arm frame as the 1950s progressed. Production ceased in January 1959 when parent company BSA decided to axe Ariel's four-stroke models. Produced between 1945 and 1958 the VB was traditionally liveried in deep maroon. Apart from the engine most details were similar to other singles of the range and it was intended to be a sidecar machine which, when tested by The Motorcycle whilst pulling a child adult/saloon sidecar, received excellent reports.
SFO was owned by P & R Motorcycles of Pudsey in 1995 and are presumably the people who took the original registration number off the machine before selling it to Edwin Saxton of Leeds the following year. It was last taxed with DVLA in 2017 before being sold to our vendor who has stored it.
Sold with the V5C, this VB is ready for an oily rag or full restoration.
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
20% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
23.6% inc VAT*
