Never miss an auction
Never miss an auction
£800 - £1,000
C.1971 BSA Ariel 3, 49cc. Registration number XDG 77J (see text). Frame number not found. Engine number 221 48 4 04839.
‘Here it is. Whatever it is.’ That was how the BSA Group’s advertisers heralded the arrival of the ill-conceived Ariel 3 in 1970. A tricycle aimed squarely at commuters, the Ariel 3 was powered by a 50cc Dutch Anker engine and featured a clever banking front end controlled by torsion bars, while its closely-spaced rear wheels, which remained upright, allowed the Ariel trike to be classed as a moped. No doubt BSA’s overblown marketing department had concluded that the apparent stability of such an arrangement would appeal to those nervous of riding a ‘real’ motorcycle or moped. They were very much mistaken; the machine turned out to be a disastrous flop, the £2 million wasted on the project playing a big part in precipitating the Group’s subsequent collapse.
There is no paperwork with this lot but the number is recorded with DVLA
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
15% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
18.6% inc VAT*
