Designed by the legendary Edward Turner, the Ariel Square Four was first shown at Olympia in 1930. Unique at the time of its introduction, the ‘Squariel’, as it was swiftly dubbed, featured a single block of four cylinders and twin geared-together crankshafts with pistons phased at 180 degrees.
source/image(PrtSc): classic-motorcycle.com
The crankcase was split horizontally, unusually for a motorcycle engine of the period, while the vertical valves were operated by a single overhead camshaft. A supercharged example was raced at the Isle of Man TT in 1931 without success, which was hardly surprising as its makers had envisaged the model as more of a luxury tourer than an out-and-out sports machine.
Although launched as a ‘500’, the Squariel was soon enlarged to 601cc with an eye on the important sidecar market, this bigger version being made available for the 1932 model year. In 1937 a total redesign saw it re-emerge as the Model 4G, with 995cc overhead-valve engine, making the Squariel an even more enticing prospect for sidecarists.
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Anstey-link plunger rear suspension became an option in 1939, but would not be offered again until 1946, when a telescopic front fork replaced the previous girder type. An exercise in weight shedding saw the cast-iron cylinder head and barrel replaced by alloy components for 1949, the revised model, now capable of 145kmh-plus, being known as the Mark I.This is a rare specification, telescopic front fork and rigid rear end. Only a few bikes left the Ariel work with this specification. The most paint of this bike bears its lovely original paint. This bike is a great runner.
