Ariel might be best known today as the maker of the Atom sports car, but long before the company was resurrected in its current form, it was one of Britain’s most influential motorcycle manufacturers. The company originally produced bicycles, but its first motorcycle was unveiled in 1901. After a successful launch, the company continued development of its motorcycle lineup until the outbreak of World War I saw the company pivot to producing bikes for the British Army.
After the war, Ariel returned to civilian motorcycle production, launching one of the most celebrated models, the Square Four, in 1931. The following year, another notable model, the 500cc Red Hunter, was unveiled. The breakout of war in 1939 again saw Ariel enlisted as a military supplier, and it would be another decade before the company would return to releasing new civilian models. The first all-new model to emerge from the post-war recovery was the 1949 VCH, which became highly successful in competition and re-established Ariel’s name as one of the country’s premier motorcycle makers.
Production of Ariel motorcycles continued throughout the ’50s and ’60s, but by the end of that decade, increased competition from Japan had driven down demand for British motorcycles as a whole. Under the ownership of BSA, itself formerly the world’s largest motorcycle maker, Ariel had continued both the Red Hunter and Square Four nameplates, and their replacements never became as popular. Ariel was shuttered at the end of the ’60s, eventually being relaunched as a carmaker in 1999.
