
Ariel Leader twin-cylinder, two-stroke motor cycle, 1963.
The Ariel ‘Leader’ was designed to provide a new level of technical refinement and weather protection by Val Page and first produced in July 1958. Its design had the unusual feature of having its frame welded up ‘car style’, hiding its engine. In 1959 all other Ariel models including the Square Four were dropped, and the Leader gained acclaim winning Motorcycle of the year, 1959, in ‘Motorcycle News’. Nonetheless the aesthetic design did not prove very popular and in 1960 the Arrow was released. The Arrow was almost exactly the same at the Leader but with a ‘naked’ engine. In the 1960s all British motorcycle and scooter manufactures were finding it difficult to compete with the Japanese imports and in 1965 BSA, Ariel’s parent company, decided to stop the production of all Ariel motorcycles.
Details
- Category:
- Road Transport
- Object Number:
- 1963-323
- type:
- motor cycles and motor cycles and
- credit:
- B.S.A. Motor Cycles Ltd.
Cite this page
Rights
We encourage the use and reuse of our collection data.
Data in the title, made, maker and details fields are released under Creative Commons Zero
Descriptions and all other text content are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence
Download
Download catalogue entry as json
View manifest in IIIF viewer
Add to Animal Crossing Art Generator
Download manifest IIIF
Our records are constantly being enhanced and improved, but please note that we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information shown on this website.