By a wonderful coincidence, a 1901 Quadricycle will return to its home at 101 New Bond Street to be sold in the Bonhams London to Brighton sale on November 1st – in the very same spot it was first sold 112 years ago.
The 1901 Ariel 345cc Quadricycle, frame no. 85, engine no. 607, is estimated to sell for between £25,000-£35,000 (approx. $40,000-$56,000). This wonderful machine was bought in the Ariel saleroom in New Bond Street more than a century ago and now returns to its home to be sold once more in New Bond Street – this time at Bonhams brand new headquarters at 101, the exact same spot.
James Stensel, Motorcycle Specialist at Bonhams says: “Once in a while a delightful coincidence occurs which greatly adds to the excitement of a machine. How strange to think of this machine surviving over a century to be sold in exactly the same place it was sold all those years ago. If only the machine could speak, what tales it would tell. We are delighted to be offering a machine of such excellence, Ariel’s ideal, matched by Bonhams today.”
Conceived by Charles Sangster (Founder and Managing Director of Ariel), this delightful Quadricycle has had just three owners from new and was first owned by Captain A Loftus Bryan of Borrmount Manor, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, from 1900-1967. Previously restored by noted specialist James Tennant Eyles of Oxford, it is unusual for a quadricycle in that Ariel manufactured their machines as tricycles, offering an optional attachment: “Taking form of a small open carriage, which can either be supplied with the Tricycle at the time of purchase or at any future period” read Ariel’s period advertising.
Ariel Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Birmingham. It was one of the leading innovators in British motorcycling and was sold in 1944 to BSA but the Arial name survived till 1970.The original company was established in 1870 by James Starley and William Hillman to make bicycles. But in 1898 it produced a powered tricycle with a de Dion engine.
For more press information please contact Julian Roup on 0207 468 8259 or julian.roup@bonhams.com or press@bonhams.com
Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com.
