c1956 Ariel Square 4G MkII 1000cc Motorcycle

Description

An absolute classic, Ariel's Square Four is one of the best known of all British motorcycles and is still a fantastic performer today, more than half a century later. Tracing its origins back to the early 1930s, the Ariel was originally designed by the talented Edward Turner, who joined the company as a technician and went on to achieve even greater success with Triumph. Sketched on the back of a cigarette pack, Turner's radical proposal consisted of four vertical cylinders arranged in a square configuration and displacing 500cc, air-cooling and overhead cams - this was no ordinary motorcycle. After receiving approval from his boss Jack Sangster, the new Ariel first entered production in 1931 and was soon enlarged to 600cc for sidecar use in 1932. Sadly, the Depression hit Ariel hard, forcing a major rationalisation of the model range and the overhead-valve Red Hunter and Square Fours shared a common frame design thereafter. Further development saw the Square Four switch to an ohv design with the 1000cc Model 4G model of 1937 and production resumed after World War Two ended. In 1949 the engine was further developed with cast alloy used for the block and cylinder head to reduce weight; retrospectively dubbed the Mark I, these early post-war Square Fours were in turn superseded by the 'four pipe' Mark II in 1953, with a redesigned cylinder head and two separate exhaust pipes on either side of the motorcycle. These changes elevated the Square Four into the big league - the Ariel was now a genuine 100 mph motorcycle. Throughout the 1950s the Square Four continued to use the somewhat antiquated plunger frame before production ceased in 1959. Any Ariel Square Four is a highly desirable motorcycle and prized collectors piece, combining towering performance, rarity (just 3,828 Mark IIs were made in the period 1953-1958) and a sophistication unmatched by any of its rivals.