Rrosenthal

1961 Aero-Caprioni 125 de luxe Advance c1904-12 UK A respected pre WWI maker, Advance built single cylinder and V-twin motorcycles powered by their own engines. The Advance had a lower than normal frame design. Only a few examples survive. AER 1938-40 UK Advanced looking single and twin cylinder two-strokes built by Liverpudlian Scott dealer and…

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Sporting ohv 349cc AJS K6 was available in racing trim to special order as KR6 1909-31 In 1874 Joe Stevens of Wednesfield, Nr Wolverhampton began trading as J Stevens & Co, engineering blacksmiths. In 1894 he relocated to Tempest Street, Wolverhampton and was joined by two of his sons, Harry and Joe Junior. An American…

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Ambassador Popular 197cc, built from 1950-55 AJW 1926-77 UK Financed by his family’s printing works, Arthur Jack Wheaton (Jack) built two Anzani powered motorcycles in 1926, followed by a four cylinder version for the 1928 London Motorcycle Show. Production of Anzani and JAP powered V-twins began in 1929 then singles with JAP and Blackburne engines…

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Ariel Square Four was remarkable and remains sought after Ariel 1902 (1898)-70 UK Some enthusiasts joke that the name Ariel can be traced back to the invention of the wheel. Well, not quite, but in 1870 James Starley and William Hillman jointly patented a lightweight wheel with tensioned wire spokes calling it the Ariel, after…

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Ascott-Pullin sported a pressed steel chassis Armis 1920-23 UK One of a host of small manufacturers who sprang up after WWI to cash in on the sudden high demand for motorcycles, the Armis Cycle Manufacturing Co Ltd of Birmingham ceased production in 1924 when the market shrank. Used proprietary engines including Precision, JAP and Blackburne…

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1908 Bat 7hp V twin BAC 1951-53 UK After the Bond Minibyke design and production was taken over by Ellis of Leeds, the Bond Aircraft and Engineering Company built two conventional but very small motorcycles called the Lilliput. The 125cc version powered by a JAP two-stroke engine was in production for a year while the…

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Benelli 354 Sport Benelli 1917- Italy The six Benelli brothers, with help from their mother, Teresa, established an engineering firm in Pesaro in 1911. A 75cc two-stroke, clip-on motorcycle was designed in 1917, which had grown to 98cc by the time production started two years later. The first complete motorcycles were built in 1921. Antonio…

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Bimota SB8K Santamonica Berini 1949-c1960 Holland Production commenced with a 32cc cyclemotor unit, nicknamed the ‘motor egg’ due to the shape of its fuel tank. The disc valve two-stroke engine, similar to that found in the British Cyclemaster, was mounted above the front wheel of a bicycle, driving via a roller pressed on the tyre.…

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1938 250cc BMW R23 single BMW 1923-to date Germany Today BMW is Germany’s only large scale motorcycle manufacturer. Although portraying an image of dependable quality, the company itself has survived a close call with bankruptcy and kept afloat after WWII by manufacturing cooking pots, cycle parts and wood working tools. Their practice of building top…

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1949 Brockhouse Corgi Bohmerland 1925-39 Czechoslovakia Albin Liebisch designed the unconventional long wheelbase Bohmerland with its ohv single cylinder engine. Some had two fuel tanks and could seat two passengers as well as the rider. A short wheelbase racing version and, later, a two-stroke model, joined the range. Bond 1949-53 and 1958-62 UK Designed by…

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