1931 Ariel 557cc Model A
Registration no. UD 4754
Frame no. 991
Engine no. 1930

This Ariel Model A comes with its original old-style logbook recording the first owner as Frederick Willers of Sarsden, Oxfordshire. In 1968 the Ariel was acquired by the vendor's father, proprietor of RCA Motors Ltd of Bristol and an enthusiastic collector of motorcycles, and in 1974 was registered to his firm. A letter on file dated April 1968 relates the machine's previous history, stating that it had been acquired from a widow and supposedly had covered only a handful of miles from new. Indeed, we are advised that the estimated mileage covered to date is less than 1,000. When the vendor's father died in 2000, a sidecar and chassis was attached and fitted with a platform to carry his coffin to the crematorium. The single-seater sports sidecar was reinstated later, and in this form the Ariel was featured in Classic Bike Guide in 2001 (November edition) in an article by Dave Minton (copy on file). Since then, 'UD 4754' has taken part in two Ludlow 100 Miles events and covered a further 300 trouble-free miles. The sidecar was removed at a later date to become once again a solo machine but is offered in this sale. This delightful 'time warp' Ariel is offered with the aforementioned documentation and a V5C registration document.