PRINCIPAL FIGURES IN ARIEL HISTORY

 

 

The history of Ariel motorcycles had several key figures that were responsible for its design, development, promotion and leadership throughout production.

 

 

Charles Sangster was one of the founding fathers of Ariel.  Charles was at the 1900 Thousand Mile Trial event with Ariel, then became Director in 1901.  He led Ariel until 1931 when his son Jack took over.

 

 

Jack Sangster led Ariel from 1931-1965.  He was born in 1896 and grew up in motorcycles.  He was an Ariel Team rider in the 1920's and then bought out the Ariel interest from Components Ltd in 1931 when it went under during the Great Depression.  He renamed the company Ariel Works (JS) Ltd. and remained Director until Ariel's demise in 1966.

 

 

Edward Turner was the designer of the Square Four engine for Ariel.  Turner came to Ariel in 1929 to design the four-cylinder engine.

 

 

Valentine Page was Chief Designer of Ariel during the 1930's.  Val came to Ariel in 1925 and was responsible for Ariel's fresh new models in 1926, having designed two new engines that built Ariel's reputation for eye-catching sports motorcycles.

 

 

Victor Mole was the Sales & Marketing Manager at Ariel during the 1930's.  Vic came to Ariel in 1925 and created some memorable & imaginative promotional schemes for Ariel.

 

 

Harold "Harry" Perrey was Competitions Manager at Ariel during the 1930's.  Harry began as a factory trials rider in the 1920's, then was responsible for sporting promotional events to increase Ariel's visibility.

 

 

Bert Hopwood was Chief Draftsman at Ariel during the 1930's.  Bert came to Ariel in 1929 to assist Edward Turner with the Square Four engine.  He later became head of design (1932-36) and went on to design other motorcycles for Triumph.

 

 

J Graham Oates was a pioneering explorer during the 1920's & 1930's for Ariel.  He was one of the most famous Arielists during the pre-war era and gained notoriety from his adventurous exploits on Ariel motorcycles in Canada & England from 1927 to 1932.

 

His first experience on an Ariel was in 1927 in Toronto, Canada where he rode a new 1927 500cc Ariel at a local motorcycle dealer.  Shortly thereafter he convinced the dealership to sponsor the first trans-Canada crossing on a motorcycle.  Ariel Motors sent him a new 1928 500cc motorcycle and a Canadian sidecar was fitted.  He traversed the roads & railways of Canada, going from Nova Scotia to Vancouver on this bike.  He 4,100 miles in 21 days and afterward his exploits were world-famous.

 

 

  

 

His second trip was in 1932 and it was a bit more adventurous.  Using a new 1932 500cc Red Hunter with Swallow sidecar, he took a trip from the Isle of Man to England to Canada to the Arctic Circle and back!  The total trip covered 12,000 miles on a new Red Hunter ... and all without an engine rebuild!

 

   

 

Ariel sponsored his 1932 trip as well and when he returned they promoted his exploits (and their Red Hunter's reliability) in advertisements in The Motor Cycle (see ad below).

 

 

 

Note: These images were found in the excellent book "Aurora to Ariel".