To say that the public unveiling of the overhead-camshaft 500cc Ariel Square Four in the autumn of 1930 caused a sensation would be a considerable understatement.
At a time still associated with soup kitchen queues, the Ariel’s appearance at the 1930 Olympia Motorcycle Show even out-posed the introduction of the Matchless Silver Hawk, and four giants of the British motorcycle industry – Edward Turner, Jack Sangster, Val Page and Bert Hopwood – each played a part in the story.
Read more in June’s edition of OBM
