eBay Find of the Day: 1952 Ariel Square Four wooden racer
Click above for more shots of the custom Ariel-powered wooden car
We bet that most people are only faintly aware that the Ariel motorcycle brand existed at all. There was a time, though, when the British company was a pioneer in new and exciting technologies, innovating where others were content to soldier forward with tried-and-true methods. In fact, its eventual failure was due in part to its futuristic designs. For instance, Ariel introduced the world to its Square Four motorcycle in 1931. Named for its oddly-shaped engine architecture that placed four cylinders in a box pattern, the Square Four was completely unlike anything else offered at the time and used two sets of pistons mated at the flywheel inside a single engine block that was capped by a single head casting. Different to say the least, but ultimately pretty successful for Ariel, which went on to sell over 15,000 of the bikes before production ceased in 1959.
An interesting home-built hotrod has just shown up on eBay that mates this classic engine to a custom wooden body designed by - get this - a boat builder. The vehicle itself was inspired by a Modern Mechanix Magazine article from the '50s and features a French connection by way of suspension components from a Citroen. Cadillac bullet-shaped tail lights may look a little out of place, but are nothing if not period correct. The low-slung shape and open wheels actually remind us of a certain other more modern racer from Ariel. One thing is for certain: there aren't any other vehicles that you could purchase for $30K that are nearly as unique as this, and you can rest assured knowing that you'll never, ever see another car like it on the road. That's got to be worth something, right?
Gallery: Custom Ariel-powered Car
[Source: eBay via Next Autos]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Franz 5:09PM (11/24/2008)
Forget not knowing about Ariel, I'd never even heard of a square four engine before. I just went & looked it up... pretty cool. lol
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howard 1:20AM (11/25/2008)
Hi Franz: I received a 1948 ARIEL SQUARE FOUR for graduation from hi school in 1948! It was the fastest accelerating machine I had ever sat on! Top speed of 85 mph but it got it in a city block! Up to this time I had been riding a 1946 BSA 500 (popper) single! The transition from that to the ARIEL was quite a challenge! My dad made me go to a big parking lot near the Lockheed plant in Burbank Calif. (I'm from North Hollywood) and practice taking off from a stop while keeping both feet on the pegs and balancing the machine! Then I had to master the shifting without grinding gears, then it was shifting without the clutch which I mastered pretty quick because of my ability with numbers, I just had to count slowly, one thousand, two thousand shift! Never ground a gear or missed a shift when racing! When he thought I had mastered this he let me go on the road!The SQUARE FOUR could beat just about everything out at the time except the H.R.VINCENT in a city block! I sure wish I had it back!
CaptainSpaulding 5:20PM (11/24/2008)
hope it comes with a supply of Thompson's Weather Seal.
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Mobius_1 5:32PM (11/24/2008)
That would make a nice (if a little expensive) coffee table :P
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Brent 5:52PM (11/24/2008)
Now, That's a woody!
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C est Raoul 10:49PM (11/24/2008)
Wheels are easy to recognize as well. from the 2CV.
Seats are from.... Guantanamo?
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tom 11:13PM (11/24/2008)
I'd be a little nervous having the carburetor that close to my face. Especially considering it's a British engine.
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Marc-O 3:31AM (11/25/2008)
I hope it at least comes with earplugs AND ear muffs... I can't think of another wheeled vehicle with the main motivator so close to your ears... Yikes !