'LEO' IN THE TIMES

From today's New York Times:

1905 'Leo' motorcycle, made in Oakland, CA; the only survivor?

"Only Known Leo Motorcycle to be Auctioned
LAS VEGAS — The recent discovery of the only known example of a Leo motorcycle, which is scheduled to be auctioned here Jan. 10 by Bonhams, raises more questions than answers.

The 107-year-old Leo, found in complete and original condition in a storage area at a Massachusetts museum, has motorcycle historians and Bonhams valuation specialists stumped. The motorcycle, made to a high standard of fit and finish, offers a freely turning two-stroke motor with strong compression, a purpose-built heavy gauge tube frame, spoked rims, Thor pedals and a Troxel leather saddle.

Thor pedal crank used on the Leo (more Thor history here)

Why was the Leo apparently manufactured for only one year, in 1905? Whatever happened to the company that made it, the L.A. Mitchell Manufacturing Company of Oakland, Calif.? Is it possible the company, and the bike, were victims of the 1906 earthquake that devastated the San Francisco Bay Area? No one seems to know, Evan Ide, a Bonhams specialist said in an interview, although it is hoped – as often happens in cases like these – the publicity around its discovery may lead to a source of more information.

“There are references to the Leo in quite a few books,” Mr. Ide said. “People were aware that Leo was making bikes in 1905. None were thought to have survived, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Leo was the only California bike of the period,” he added. [No, there were others, including the Nelk motorcycle, built at the same date, in Palo Alto, which still exists, and a few 'Calfornia' (later Yale) machines - Ed].

The bike’s California provenance is especially interesting, he noted. Only a few examples of California-made motorcycles have survived, like the 1901-02 California brand motorcycle, which later became Yale, and the 1930s-era Crocker. [Also, obscurities like the Nelk motorcycle and scooter, made in Palo Alto CA in the same period, with a single survivor of each type, both in the History San Jose Museum, albeit tucked away in their storage warehouses.  It should also be noted that Glenn Curtiss supplied his engines to a dirigible factory in San Francisco prior to 1906, when the 'Quake destroyed the warehouse of 'Captain' Tom Baldwin - Ed.]

Mr. Ide says he believes the Leo name represents the first name of its likely founder, Leo (or Leonard) A. Mitchell. Searches of Oakland business directories and census records reveal one Leo A. Mitchell, listed as a master mechanic, living in the area during the period the motorcycle would have been manufactured. Later in life, he listed himself as working on steam-powered railroad engines.

A robust two-stroke single-cylinder engine of ~3hp

Mr. Ide said he was impressed with the Leo’s purpose-built motorcycle design, construction and functionality. “If you compare the Leo to things made by other motorcycle makers of the time – Mitchell, Thomas, for example – they were literally a bicycle frame with a motor clamped to the down tube of the bike, light gauge wheels, wooden rims,” he noted.

“The big thing with the Leo is really the engine – so different from anything of the time,” Mr. Ide said. “Despite its ruggedness, it’s not a heavy machine. The motor is quite light for the power it would have produced – on the order of three horsepower, which is reasonably high for the period.” He praised the engine’s design as “simple, clean and elegant.”

Mr. Ide said he was unsure how to value the motorcycle for the auction. Although a presale estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 has been established, Mr. Ide expects the Leo will sell for more than that.

“We sold three Crockers this summer – incredibly rare – and all in excess of $300,000,” he said. “Stuff that’s made in California is usually great stuff, but the products are so rare.”

He noted that early California-made automotive products are considered as having been designed and manufactured to an unusually high standard. He cited Miller racing cars, Crocker motorcycles and Murphy custom coach-built bodies for luxury cars as prime examples.

“Miller’s racing cars were some of the most exquisite mechanical machinery ever to be made. Crocker – phenomenal,” Mr. Ide said. “I don’t think any of them were financially successful, but all made great stuff that we remember. They probably weren’t great businessmen, but they were skilled people.”

Nick Czap contributed additional reporting."

The Vintagent's Note:  I've uploaded my own pix of the Leo, for better detail resolution than the NYTimes website.  As noted in my comments inserted above, the Leo was one of several pioneer California motorcycles built - they're all very rare now, and include the Leo, the Nelk, and the California (Yale).  With more Billionaires per acre in the SF Bay Area than anywhere else in the world, I'm hoping a few Cali moneybags might keep treasures of our history within the area...
Full disclosure; Bonhams is the principal sponsor of The Vintagent.

Read more »

DAYS OF FUTURE PAST: THE MERCURY

Laurie Jenks aboard his personal 'Mercury'

There wasn't an announcement when the Future died, but die it did, sometime around the 1980s I reckon, as the Age of Optimism was superseded by the Age of Irony.  For over 100 years the Future was a popular pastime, the subject of countless magazine articles, fantastic illustrations, and sometimes wacky/sometimes dead accurate conjecture on what our material surroundings would look like, and how they would function, in the Future.  As we've passed the Millenium, and are still driving piston-engine cars and telefork motorcycles, it seems our imminent whiz-bang Future hasn't arrived yet, and isn't likely to arrive soon; hell, we don't even have a space program anymore.  Our enthusiasm for the Future seems to have died when the bills - financial, societal, environmental- came due.

While all-aluminum, the Mercury was no lightweight at 450lbs...

Dedicated Future-hunters in the motorcycle world smile ruefully at regular columns and drawings published in magazines from the 1920s through the 50s, in which visionary readers and schoolchildren sent sketches of their 'ideal' motorcycle (Four cylinders! Suspension!), while a few hardier and more determined souls actually set about building their dreams.  It is to them we must truly tip our hat, and, without irony, give thanks, for they are the actual creators of the technologies we take for granted today.  Yes, four cylinder, and yes, suspension, and disc brakes, and center-hub steering, and all-aluminum everything.  Which brings us to the Mercury.

The prototype, tube-frame Mercury rolling chassis

The product of four backyard visionaries, the Mercury project was especially the vision of one man, Laurie Jenks, who had toured extensively on the typical girder-forked, rigid-framed motorcycles of the late 1920s, and decided the time was ripe for a more sophisticated touring motorcycle.  His first prototype, built in 1933, featured a tubular frame, with articulated rear suspension and a version of 'duplex' steering up front, similar to the OEC system, a cousin of hub-center steering, which we know had been around since the earliest days of motorcycling (Ner-A-Car of the 20s, and before that, the Zenith Bi-Car of the 'Noughts), the principal advantages being lack of deflection under side loads, and greater stability over rough surfaces/hard use, and zero tendency for 'speed wobbles'.

The all-aluminum chassis of the Mercury

When the tube frame prototype of 1933 proved satisfactory, Jenks' 'Ideal' motorcycle went a step further, with an all-riveted aluminum chassis and alloy bodywork covering his advanced steering and suspension ideas.  It took another four years to begin 'production' of the Mercury, after ordering aluminum castings for the steering head and other lugs, plus extruded I-section aluminum for the main frame spars; enough frame parts were ordered for an initial batch of of 4 machines.  The shape and material of the Mercury chassis is top-shelf 1930s practice, echoed by the most advanced GP machine of the era, with which it shares many features; the Gilera 'Rondine' also had an ultra-strong twin-spar chassis, and extensive use of aluminum, and water cooling...but the similarities end there, as the Rondine's DOHC supercharged inline 4 was truly the Future, whereas the Mercury's tuned Scott 600cc two-stroke twin-cylinder engine was merely the Present.

In truth, with limited funds available to buy a new engine (let alone develop a motor of their own), Jenks and his partner Mr. Swabey, who ran a garage tuning Scott engines, relied on the Past for their Mercury motors, and used reconditioned and tuned Scott engines from as far back as 1933 in their futuristic machine.

 A trade display of British Aluminum products; it is believed the Mercury chassis parts were subsidized by the Aluminum industry as a showcase.  Other motorcycles used aluminum as their main chassis, most notably, early Neanders from the late 1920s, and the Ardie 'Silberpfiel' of 1931-3.

While Scott was the only 'sporting' and TT-winning motorcycle to never win a Brooklands 'Gold Star' (for a 100mph lap during a race), the Scott engine had its appeal, being very smooth, simple, reliable, and easy to maintain, while possessing devilishly quick acceleration, if not the 100mph top speed required of a truly Hot bike.  When press-tested in 1937 for Motor Cycle, the completed Mercury was ridden hands-off around the incredibly bumpy Brooklands track at an average of 70mph, while 90mph was the estimated top whack.   When introduced to the world in 1937 as the product of 'Mercury Motors', the price was listed at £115 - the same as a Brough Superior '11-50' model with 1100cc JAP engine (see the full Brough price list here, on the excellent B-S company archives).  Those first four aluminum chassis were the only Mercuries built; we love the Future, until we must pay for it.

'Speed!  With safety and comfort.'

The Mercury was stable enough for Brooklands, and fast enough at 90mph, even if not a racer; what else was it?  Meant for touring, clearly, with a lot of elegant details with the rider's comfort in mind, like the large tool/glovebox in the tank top, which also housed an oil reservoir for a chain oiler.  The instrument panel included a fuel gauge, and various pull-knobs for electrical controls. Both front and rear suspension consisted of undamped compression and rebound springs, which Jenks felt kept the wheels in more contact with tarmac over undulations. Large section tires (4"x19" - huge for the day) gave comfortable if slow steering, and all that aluminum protected the rider from oil and mud.  While the chassis and bodywork were aluminum, the deep mudguards were nickel-plated steel, giving an overall super-silver look, akin to the sleekest aircraft of the day, all rivets and shiny panels, the very picture of the Future, Buck Rogers on two wheels.

The rear suspension linkage system, with short trailing links, attached by rods to spring boxes bolted along the upper frame member

Laurie Jenks wasn't the first, nor the last to build an 'ideal' motorcycle, and his Mercury was better than most in looks and real-world performance.  While not to everyone's taste, I find the Mercury visually exciting, and 1930s-futuristic like almost no other vehicle on two or four wheels - closer to advanced aircraft practice.  Jenks' fundamental ideas - a comfortable and civilized sporting motorcycle which protected the rider from the elements- were completely sound, and an accurate vision for the Future. A funny thing about the Future, though; when it actually arrives, it immediately becomes the Ordinary.  Motorcycle manufacturers have been burned many times by introducing radical new ideas (full enclosure, Wankel engines, hub-center steering) to a non-buying public, but the idea of a sophisticated, smooth, fully enclosed sport-touring motorcycle finally came to fruition in the 1990s, embodied by machines like the Honda Pacific Coast, and later, the fully-enclosed Gold Wing and its cousins.  All very efficient and rider-friendly, yet somehow, incorporating good ideas from design Futures seems to leave the 'Wow' factor in the Past...

Seen from above, the Scott gearbox, dynamo, and carb, installed in the Mercury chassis

The Scott Power-Plus 600cc two-stroke motor (sans cylinder head and primary drive)

Blueprints for the Mercury...but the engine appears to be different....

...because Laurie Jenks, like any good Futurist, had far more ambitious plans for his 'ideal motorcycle'...

...a sporting, two-wheeled car...

...with a supercharged, 3-cylinder two-stroke engine, which was actually built!   Details of the engine; you're looking at 3 Amal carbs feeding 3 small superchargers, which share a drive with a dynastarter.  The engine is a 'flat' triple, with 3 parallel bores and water-cooled cylinders.  The yellow sketched-in motor in the Mercury blueprint is the silhouette of this two-stroke engine...Jenks still owned his personal Mercury until 1977, and clearly considered making an engine swap.  Poor health likely prevented further development of what could have proved a very powerful engine...

Many thanks to Norman Gunderson of Canada for the beautiful b/w detail photos of the Mercury; Norman found reference to the Mercury in my coverage of the Concorso di Villa d'Este earlier this year, and was a personal friend of Laurie Jenks, from whom the photos originated.  Also thanks to the Hockenheim Museum in Germany, for sending the rest of the photos; four Mercuries survive, plus the tube frame prototype (a chassis only at this point - 2012), and all are at Hockenheim; if you haven't seen this collection, you owe it to yourself to make a trip.

Read more »

THE LITTLE VELOCETTE THAT TRIED...

Great story from Greg Summerton, about an attempted Velocette trip across Australia in 1922; the bike is probably a Velocette GC3 'Colonial' model 225cc two-stroke!  A very light machine, and sophisticated with throttle-controlled oil injection, and a 3 speed gearbox.  Was it up to the job?

The 1922 Velocette 'GC3' was an early all-chain drive machine; many were sold in Australia.

Here's Greg's story:
"That fellow leaning on the fence is my Great Grandfather, Ernest Allchurch. The bike is a Velocette, the rider was Member of Parliament for the Northern Territory (Harold George Nelson), who rode the bike from Adelaide, hoping to cross the country all the way to Darwin.
My Great Grandfather and others tried to dissuade him, but realising he was committed, they advised him to stick to the overland telegraph line and use the repeater stations along the way. They lost contact with him some days later, he failed to turn up at one of the stations so they went looking for him on horseback. They found the bike, then "followed a trail of one pound notes" to where he was laying. Near death, he'd drunk the oil from the tank and "his tongue was swollen out of his head". Somehow he survived, but spent many weeks (months?) in hospital back in Adelaide after he was rescued. That was the story that my grandmother told me. One day I will follow the story up to see if my childhood memory of her story was close to the facts. Earlier, in 1908 I think, Ernest (my Great-Grandfather) had joined Murray Aunger and Frank Dutton on their second attempt to cross Australia from South to North by car at Alice Springs. They reached Darwin after finding and repairing the first attempt's abandoned Talbot left there the year before when it failed. Ernest started as a messenger boy for the Post Office in the late 1800s at Macclesfield and went on to become the last head of the Telegraph Station at Alice Springs itself before it was moved into the town that had become established nearby after the station was established in the late 1860s, I think. He was also the only magistrate for the area outside of Darwin itself. I never met him, he died before WW2, but his wife Elisabeth was a great little lady, I have great memories of her."

For more information on Ernest Allchurch, and a glimpse of life in the middle of Australia of the day, read here.

Read more »

BMW 'KOMPRESSOR' FOR SALE AT VEGAS

[I'm rarely asked to write catalog copy for Bonhams, but was happy to oblige in the case of this exceptional supercharged BMW, an RS255 'special' built of genuine racing parts supplied by BMW and others, assembled by legendary GP pilot Walter Zeller with BMW mechanic Gustl Lachermair, to campaign in Vintage events.  The following is my description for the upcoming Bonhams sale in Las Vegas]

There is no question the BMW RS255 deserves a place at the very pinnacle of motorcycling history. While the German marque is admired throughout the world for its decades of competent, comfortable, and stylish motorcycling, there was a brief moment when it stood atop the world of road racing as well, having honed 15 years’ development of supercharged Rennsport machines into a thoroughly efficient, reliable, light, and devastatingly fast machine. The late 1930s was a Golden Age of Grand Prix racing, with the motorcycle factories of Europe clashing on newly-built, high-speed racing tracks with supercharged racers of multiple cylinders. Stalwarts of single-cylinder, overhead camshaft development – Norton and Velocette especially – had honed their light and reliable racers since the mid-1920s, with great success, creating the benchmark for an all-around excellent racing motorcycle, which combined light weight, good handling, high speed, and durability for the long-distance races. An amateur rider of great skill could, and often did, win a place in International racing with a machine purchased from these factories. But the ‘Works’ jobs were always that bit faster, and by the mid-1930s, what the factories created for their teams became a completely different animal from what even a favored rider could hope to purchase. And in truth, over-the-counter racers still held a good chance for a win or place, as the big factories were really stretching the limits of technology and metallurgy while testing scientific theories of combustion, supercharging, and aerodynamics.

The RS255 supercharged motor, with Kompressor integrated to the front of the crankcase, and compact DOHC cylinder heads

BMW were among the first motorcycle manufacturers to experiment with forced induction, waiting a mere two years after the marque’s debut (in 1923) to bolt a supercharger to their overhead-valve racing machines.  Perhaps because of BMW’s deep connections with aero engine and auto GP practice, their racing motorcycles were subject to continuous development with ‘blowers’, initially with mixed success in road racing, but which made great account of themselves in the arena of Land Speed Record-breaking.   The World’s Fastest title had, since 1924, been held exclusively by large-capacity JAP-powered English v-twins (installed in Zenith, OEC or Brough Superior chassis), until BMW in 1930 inserted special, Rennsports ‘Kompressors’ into the mix, always with the brave Ernst Henne at the helm.  From that date forward, BMW alternated mostly with larger-capacity English v-twins for the top speed stakes, although a rival Italian marque, Gilera, took top honors in 1937(170.27mph), before BMW snatched the title again later that year (173.68mph),which it retained until 1951.

Ernst Henne with the supercharged BMW WR750 which took many World Speed Records (this from his successful 168.92mph run in 1936)

From that first World’s Fastest title in 1930, considerable development was required before the BMW chassis could compete on even terms with the fleet and nimble English single-cylinder racers.  Great strides forward came in 1935, with the introduction of a recognizably modern telescopic front fork, and the integration of the supercharger at the front of the engine, rather than atop the gearbox as previously.  That blower now sent pressurized air past valves operated by twin overhead camshafts, encased in a remarkably tidy and compact magnesium cylinder head cover. By 1937 BMWs had springing at the rear as well, using a coil-sprung plunger system, with an additional friction damper for the racers to keep the undamped bounce under control.  As the engine dep’t found increasing power, a strict focus on weight control began to pay dividends in handling and acceleration.  The extensive use of magnesium for engine castings and wheel hubs was combined with an ultralight, lugless frame built from lightweight, tapered tubing; elegant, very light, and very strong.   The result of this continual development and improvement was the RS255, which won both the German and European championships in 1938.  A final prize eluded BMW’s grasp, though, as the globe’s attention focused on the Isle of Man TT as the ‘ultimate’ road race, and BMW could only manage 5^th spot at the TT in ’38, with English rider Jock West aboard.

The famous photograph of Georg Meier flying over Ballaugh Bridge in the 1939 Isle of Man TT

The RS255 had been lightened, tuned, and honed into an exquisite racing motorcycle.  It was faster than all its rivals, barring those (AJS, Gilera) with twice as many supercharged cylinders, yet managed to be lightest of all the 500cc Grand Prix racers, fully 30lbs less than its chief rival, the now double-overhead camshaft Norton, which also had its own extensive use of magnesium casings and full springing front and rear.  The two principal advantages of the English marques became the reliability of their engines, and the excellence of their riders.  BMW had an ace up its sleeve in the rider department, as a stout-hearted policeman named Georg Meier had rocketed in a mere two years to the top of the road racing game, after being talent-spotted during a brief off-road motorcycle racing career.  BMW team-mates Jock West and Karl Gall were excellent riders, but lacked the special qualities required of a racing Immortal.  

Jock West aboard the 1937 version of the BMW Kompressor, which used a chassis similar to the BMW R5; a rigid-frame of lightweight tubing, the BMW telefork, full-width hubs, and 'that' motor

Meier wasn’t invincible during the 1939 Grand Prix season, as the four-cylinder, double-overhead camshaft, water-cooled Gilera ‘Rondine’ racked up racing points by sheer blazing speed on the ultra-fast tracks of Europe, winning the European Championship that year.  But the Isle of Man TT still beckoned, which required excellent handling, and a superior rider, beyond mere top speed.  Arriving on the Island early to exploit 14 full days of race practice, the BMW team desperately wanted to prove the superiority of their machines, and pushed hard; member Karl Gall paid with his life, crashing heavily after the notorious ‘leap’ at Ballaugh Bridge.   Despite the loss of their team-mate, Meier and West dominated the Senior TT, with Meier especially smashing lap records from a standing start, and carrying on breaking lap times till the very end, when he became the first non-British rider to win the world’s most difficult road race*.  His victory ensured the RS255’s, and his own, enduring legend.

Lucky bugger Nick Smith of Bonhams aboard the RS255 Kompressor at Willow Springs raceway

After WW2, with Germany, and supercharging, banned from International racing, some ‘blown’ BMW racers continued to circulate in the domestic championships, but complete, and functional, RS255s were always extremely rare.  With the rise of Vintage racing and heritage parades around the world during the 1970s, no example of BMW’s ‘Kompressor’ was available for public demonstration (Meier’s alleged ’39 TT winner sat in boxes in the USA), so former BMW factory racer Walter Zeller asked BMW to parade Georg Meier’s 1950-era RS255, which sat on display at the BMW Museum in Munich.  BMW said ‘no’, but Zeller was persistent in his desire to show the legendary machine on the track; he knew the BMW factory still possessed a considerable pile of early racing parts, and in 1980 he began assembly of a 1951 Rennsport ‘plunger’ frame with a genuine 1939 RS255 engine. Gustl Lachermair, the BMW engineer who was responsible for servicing racing engines all through the 1950s-70s (and who rebuilt almost all RS engines after retiring from the factory), built the engine to 1949/50 specification, with a bigger supercharger than used in ‘39. The 1951 chassis has a strengthened frame, and the leading axle teleforks are very similar to the type used by BMW in 1949-50.  Zeller modified the front brake for twin-leading shoe action, and used clip-ons instead of the ‘39s flat aluminum handlebars.  The rear wheel was built with a 19” rim instead of 20”, as no new tires of that size were available.

From Classic Bike magazine, June 1985; Walter Zeller, Gustl Lachermair, and Stefan Knittel discuss Zeller's RS54 and RS255 Kompressor

Zeller and Lachermair used mostly original, factory racing components, which they accumulated from BMW factory stock or private contacts. BMW understood this machine to be Walter Zeller’s private project, and gave him the parts, which might seem less remarkable today, knowing the BMW factory had previously presented Zeller with a factory-built, road-going supercharged ‘special’ in appreciation for his 2nd place in the 1956 Grand Prix World Championship. In the end Walter Zeller became the official owner of the completed motorcycle. The BMW factory kept no records of racing engine and frame numbers from the prewar era, and there exists no related information correlating to race entries, riders or results. It is therefore impossible to state with certainty the race history of the engine or chassis of this motorcycle, only that the components are nearly all genuine BMW ‘factory’ racing parts, assembled by two legendary figures in BMW history - racing champion Walter Zeller, and engine builder Gustl Lachermair - and paraded by Zeller in Vintage events from the 1980s.

(*The Senior TT.  Of course, Omobono Tenni was the first 'foreign' rider to win a TT)

Read more »

MATCHLESS SOLD AGAIN

In common with other extinct motorcycle brand names, the Matchless marque has changed hands again, moving down the Mediterranean from Greece to Italy, and the house of Malinotti.  That name might ring a bell, as the Malinotti family purchased Belstaff in 2005, and revived the brand name by cladding supermodels and movie stars with their shorter, tighter versions of Belstaff's archival designs.  After opening a dozen Belstaff stores in Europe, the brand ran into financial trouble, and the Malinottis sold Belstaff last year, as the company's debts were reportedly in the region of 40M euros.  Luckily for the Malinottis, the Belstaff brand had gained considerable industry 'juice', and  the Labelux group purchased Belstaff for a reported 110M euros (this after the Malinottis paid a pittance to acquire the name in 2005; quite a profit).  Labelux has hired candle-maker Harry Slatkin as CEO of Belstaff, for a re-revamping of the brand.

The Matchless name, sold by Bonhams in 2006 for £45,000, was purchased by a mini-consortium of four Greek motorcycle enthusiasts; Panagiotis Mariolopoulos (an architect, and secretary of the motorcycle commission of FIVA), Dr. Nikolaos Stoumbos (medical doctor and motorcycle enthusiast), Ms Ilayali(Yla) Galani (owner of a classic bike shop), and Panagiotis Zarifopoulos (also a classic bike shop owner racer).  These four intended to design a new range of modern bikes and begin production of the marque, as stated at the time of purchase.  But motorcycling is an unforgiving industry, requiring vast amounts of cash; given the weak financial situation in Greece, loans for the immense startup costs for manufacturing were no doubt impossible.

Franco Malenotti with a BSA Gold Star

Franco Malenotti, paterfamilias of the motorcycling and clothing family (son Michele was CEO of Belstaff), secured the deal for Matchless, and hopes to revive the brand as he did with Belstaff.  According to Omnimoto.it, they plan to build a series of 'limited production' motorcycles, inspired by the Matchless G80, Silver Hawk, and Silver Arrow models.

The company HQ is slated for London (Plumstead Road, anyone?).  To quote Omnimoto: "Of course, a part of the new Matchless business plan centers on having an extensive apparel and accessories line to accompany the motorcycles, making the new company very much an exercise in vintage motorcycle lifestyle branding, which should please the Concours crowds immensely."  I don't know what the 'Concours crowd' will think of Matchless clothing, but an ad campaign along the lines of Belstaff's shots with Kate Moss et al (see below) will certainly catch the eyes of High Street fashionistas.

The Malenottis brought huge media attention to Belstaff with Kate Moss fashion shoots, and product placement in prominent films.

Harley Davidson has long made more money selling apparel than motorcycles, and is sometimes described as a 'T shirt company which makes bikes'.  At least the new Matchless company is clear about its most likely source of revenue.

Note: the last time a Matchless-badged motorcycle was produced was 1990, the end of Les Harris' run of Rotax-engined machines.  See the story here.

Read more »

FALCON 'WHITE' IN NEW YORK TIMES

From the New York Times 'T' December design issue....the skeletal, 1967 Velocette Thruxton-based 'White'

You might have seen glimpses on my Vintagent Facebook page, if you were quick, or at Shinya Kimura's blog, before 'those' photos were edited out...but since work-in-progress shots of the 'White' showed up in the New York Times 'T' design section today, I suppose a further few discreet images won't hurt.

Ian Barry with the in-progress handlebars...the whole assembly is built from solid aluminum

A lot has happened since 2011, when Falcon Motorcycles débuted their Vincent-based custom, the ‘Black’, at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering.  In my Cycle World article ‘Back to Black’, I pondered the ‘Tidal Wave’ of time and effort required to build that exquisitely intricate Vincent special, and mused whether Falcon’s business model was sustainable.  The answer turns out to be no, but it’s a more nuanced ‘no’ than economic consideration alone.  True, Falcon has shrunk to a two-man shop, from the sprawling gang of ultra-skilled artisans who once kept the warehouse humming deep into the night.  But what’s more important is a profound re-definition on the part of the man on whom it all depends: Ian Barry.

The Velocette Thruxton engine...

Barry, the artisan-savant behind the three previous Falcon creations, had become by necessity a team manager, allowing other talented artisans to bring his work to metal.  Managers and visionaries are rarely the same people, and Barry was never just a ‘designer’ who hands over evocative sketches to be fabricated. He’s anxious to do the work himself, to solve the problems arising between graphite lines and welded tubing or shaped aluminum. Rather than become the next JesseJames or Arlen Ness, Ian Barry said ‘fuck this’, handed his crew their pink slips, and went back to work on what he loves; making motorcycles.  One naturally wonders what sort of motorcycle Barry will build without a veritable factory, and how long it might take to finish his next machine.  A lot simpler, with a slower build time, right?

A construction detail; I won't say where on the bike, but this is typical of the kind of workmanship we expect from Ian Barry...and of course, this assembly 'does stuff'...

Surprise.  The next Falcon project, the ‘White’, based on a ‘one-of-8’ 1967 Velocette  Thruxton factory racing motor (and sister to the 1967 Production TT winner), appeared in unfinished form at Soho Housein LA on November 11^th.  Has Barry skimped on all that crazy detail work, and gone back to a simpler Custom?  Well, here’s the trick – the White is by far the most complicated and deeply crafted bike yet to emerge from Ian Barry’s shop.  In a departure from previous Falcons, the chassis is no longer based on or even resembles the original Velocette item, nor is it a ‘what might have been’ if  Velocette were in business today.  No motorcycle factory can afford to build bikes the way Barry does... extravagance is expected of a Custom, but nobody else is paying this much attention to detail.  The silhouette of the many imitation Falcons may be the same, but Barry is deep in the Woods, and what emerges from his lair is so radically different, it will be a long while before anyone truly follows his example.

From the NYT; the interior of the new Falcon warehouse in LA

Good bike builders create harmonious lines and clever details to wow the viewer, but brilliance in any medium makes you stare, ponder, and repeatedly return, discovering more with every visit.  If you’re lucky enough to see the White in person, I guarantee you’ll be doing exactly that.

I'll post more photos of the complete White build, from drawings onwards...when the bike is properly unveiled.  Full disclosure; I have no financial interest in the White, but I did sell them the ex-Works Velocette Thruxton 'Squish' engine, one of 10 built by Veloce as 'loose' engines for special race-supporting dealers in 1967.  One of these 10 engines, the sister engine of the White's, won the 1967 Isle of Man Production TT in the hands of Neil Kelly.

Read more »

BONHAMS GRAND PALAIS, 2013

1926 Garelli two-stroke racer, they type which started many European champions on wheels

I rarely repeat press releases, but this one says it all...an impressive collection, at the most beautiful auction venue in the world.  Bonhams was forced by scheduling to skip a year at the Grand Palais (showing at an historic Paris warehouse instead, in Feb.2012), but it's welcome news they return to the grand old lady of Paris.  The Bonhams auction will of course coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Rétromobile show, at which it is rumored motorcycles will again be welcome (more on this as I find out...). If you needed an excuse to visit Paris for a few days, I'd say you've found a good one... Read to the bottom, for the Ultimate Coolness; a 1929 DeHavilland Gypsy Moth biplane parked in the Grand Palais.

1963 Garelli 50cc Monza record-breaker...'dustbins' were banned in GP competition in '57, but were perfectly acceptable for long-distance and high-speed record attempts

From the Bonhams press office:

"BONHAMS TO SELL MOTORCYCLE COLLECTION MADE BY ITALIAN FACTORY THAT LAUNCHED THE CAREER OF ‘FLYING MANTUAN’ TAZIO NUVOLARI

The entire Garelli Grand Prix Collection is offered at No Reserve at the Bonhams sale at the Grand Palais in Paris. A second collection for the 6^th to 7^th February sale features some 55 machines from the early Vintage era to the modern day

Two single-owner collections will headline the motorcycle section of the Bonhams sale at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, in early February 2013.

1983 ex-Eugenio Lazzarini GP racer, the year Garelli won the Manufactuer's World Title

The Garelli Grand Prix Collection comprises some two-dozen historic racing motorcycles from the celebrated Italian manufacturer, many from the factory’s 1980s heyday, and a selection from its pre-war days. All the machines, which were housed by their current owner in a private chapel, will be sold at no reserve.

Highlights include the 1963 Garelli 50cc Monza world-record-breaker (estimate €50,000 - €70,000); the ex-Eugenio Lazzarini 1983 50cc racer that helped Garelli to the manufacturers’ World Championship that year (estimate €12,000 - €17,000); and a 1987 example of the 125cc twin that won six riders’ World Championships and four manufacturers’ titles during the 1980s (estimate €7,000 - €12,000). Garelli Motorcycles was founded in 1919. Many famous Italian racers – including Ernesto Gnesa, Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi – began their racing careers on Garelli bikes, and in the early 1980s the factory dominated the 125 class in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, winning six consecutive world championships between 1982 and 1987.

1987 Garelli 125cc GP racer

Also forming part of the collection are two important non-Garelli racing motorcycles: the ex-Fred Merkel Honda RC30 ridden by the American World Superbike champion during the 1989/90 season (estimate €20,000 - €30,000), and the 1989 Yamaha TZ250W used by French star Jean-François Baldé during his final season of Grand Prix racing (estimate €3,500 - €5,500).

Lining up alongside the Garellis is an important French private collection assembled by garage-owning enthusiast owner, the late Claude Lesellier. The eclectic mix of some 55 machines includes French, British, German and American motorcycles dating from the early Vintage era to the modern day. Highlights include:

1916 Indian Powerplus 1000cc, with full springing

• 1935 Magnat Debon 750cc VMA v-twin (estimate €8,000 - €12,000)
• 1950 Terrot 500cc RGST (estimate €4,500 - €6,500)
• 1945 Terrot 350cc JSS (estimate €3,000 - €4,000)
• 1929 Rhonyx 500cc GX (estimate €6,000 - €10,000)
• 1930 Dollar 500cc S3 (estimate €5,000 - €6,000)
• 1927 Automoto 500cc AL11 Supersport (estimate €10,000 - €15,000)
• c.1921 Magnat Debon 250cc (estimate €6,500 - €8,500)
• 1918 Harley-Davidson Model 18F Combination (estimate €16,000 - €20,000)
• 1916 Indian 1,000cc Powerplus (estimate €20,000 - €25,000)
• 1930 Stylson 350cc RH (estimate €4,000 - €5,000)
• 1931 Arbinet 350cc BSSC (estimate €5,000 - €7,000)

Bugatti Type 54, ex-Achille Varzi

Among other lots already consigned for the auctions is the 1929 American Moth Corporation De Havilland 60GMW Gipsy Moth biplane that featured in the 1985 Oscar-winning film ‘Out of Africa’ (starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford), and the ex-works Bugatti Type 54 that raced at Monza on 6th September 1931 in the hands of Achille Varzi (estimate €2.5 million - €3.5 million)."

Read more »

DENIS SIRE; 'BARON d'HOLBACH'

'Jimmie Guthrie' on a mid-30s Norton racer, in a situation I'm sure he would approve!

Galerie Jean-Marc Thévenet in Paris is currently (thru Dec.5, 2012) exhibiting the work of legendary motoring artist Denis Sire, champion of inserting fantastical pinup girls into historical situations.  Sire was born in 1953 at Saint Nazaire on the Atlantic coast of France, and studied art in Paris at ‘L’Ecole des Arts Appliqués.  His work is most familiar to 1980s readers of Playboy and Heavy Metal magazines, and I've had a copy of his Velocette Thruxton sketch on the wall of my office for decades, admiring his outrageous mix of scantily clad femininity with hot rods, record breakers, fighter planes, and motorcycles.  Meeting Sire in person last February at Rétromobile in Paris, I discovered he also possesses a unique sense of style, befitting his outré artistic ouevre.

Joe Petrali's Harley Davidson Knucklehead record-breaker...

Roughly translated from the Thévenet Gallery website: 'Denis Sire has since 1980 drawn an idealized geography, whose contours include the Isle of Man, Brooklands, Indianapolis, Goodwood, Berlin, LeMans ...  The exhibition presents works by Denis Sire covering the period to 1910s to the 1950s, each drawing creating legends where the artist, genius that he is, plays with context, where each element belongs, as long as Sire is wielding the pencil.  A number of drawings are available on vintage paper with texts that are reinterpretations of those moments where art and machines meet historical truth.'

'Red Horse'

'LeMans, 1951'

Sire as captured at Rétromobile, 2012. Always a unique sartorialist!

Dennis sire with a flat-track Harley CR250... which was of course built by Aermacchi.  That's an Aermacchi jet, on the shores of Lake Varese  (photo from internet)

All artwork images courtesy and copyright Galerie Jean Marc Thévenet

Read more »