LOT 518

Property of a deceased's estate 1955 Ariel 598cc VB Project Registration no. 958 FMY Frame no. DU2100 Engine no. LD443

Sold for £552 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

Lot 518

Property of a deceased's estate, 1955 Ariel 598cc VB Project
Registration no. 958 FMY Frame no. DU2100 Engine no. LD443

The Beaulieu Sale: Collectors' Motor Cars & Motorcycles and Automobilia|7 September 2019, 15:00 BST|Beaulieu, National Motor Museum

Property of a deceased's estate
1955 Ariel 598cc VB Project
Registration no. 958 FMY
Frame no. DU2100
Engine no. LD443

Ariel's Val Page-designed singles were offered in both overhead-valve and sidevalve versions throughout the 1930s, though there was only one of the latter in the post-war line-up: the 598cc VB, a long-stroke workhorse. First introduced for 1936 and intended for sidecar use, the VB was regularly updated along with the rest of the Ariel singles, gaining plunger rear suspension, a telescopic front fork and, finally, a swinging-arm frame as the 1950s progressed. Production ceased in January 1959 when parent company BSA decided to axe Ariel's four-stroke models.
Acquired by the late owner in 1965, this dismantled Ariel VB has frame and engine numbers correct for the 1955 model year, which suggests that the pairing may well be original. Offered for restoration and sold strictly as viewed, the machine comes with a buff continuation logbook (issued 1963) and an old-style V5 registration document.

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