3,693
edits
Difference between revisions of "Matchless Silver Hawk"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
(Created page with "300px|thumb|Matchless Silver Hawk What a fascinating display must have met the eyes of the visitor to the Olympia Motor Cycle Show in November ...") |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[File:Matchless Silver Hawk.jpg|300px|thumb|Matchless Silver Hawk]] | [[File:Matchless Silver Hawk.jpg|300px|thumb|Matchless Silver Hawk]] | ||
What a fascinating display must have met the eyes of the visitor to the Olympia Motor Cycle Show in November 1930. Virtually every manufacturer had something new and exciting (New Hudson, for example, had completely revamped their range from head to toe), and there was not just one totally new British four-cylinder to be seen, but two! We met one of the new 'fours' earlier in this book, in the shape of the Ariel Square Four. Now meet its rival, the Matchless Silver Hawk which was, or so the makers claimed in their sales literature, 'unquestionably the most fascinating machine to ride that has ever been built. It combines the silence, smoothness and comfort of the most expensive motor car with a super-sports performance. On top gear alone the machine will run from as low as 6 miles per hour to over 80 miles per hour, while the acceleration given by the four-cylinder overheadcamshaft engine in conjunction with the four-speed gearbox must be experienced to be believed.' | What a fascinating display must have met the eyes of the visitor to the Olympia Motor Cycle Show in November 1930. Virtually every manufacturer had something new and exciting (New Hudson, for example, had completely revamped their range from head to toe), and there was not just one totally new British four-cylinder to be seen, but two! We met one of the new 'fours' earlier in this book, in the shape of the [[Ariel Square Four]]. Now meet its rival, the [[Matchless]] Silver Hawk which was, or so the makers claimed in their sales literature, 'unquestionably the most fascinating machine to ride that has ever been built. It combines the silence, smoothness and comfort of the most expensive motor car with a super-sports performance. On top gear alone the machine will run from as low as 6 miles per hour to over 80 miles per hour, while the acceleration given by the four-cylinder overheadcamshaft engine in conjunction with the four-speed gearbox must be experienced to be believed.' | ||
That says it all, really. But for all its proclaimed virtues, the Matchless Four did not exactly take the world by storm, and after struggling on for a few seasons, it was quietly dropped from the range in 1935. No discredit to the bike itself, of course, but these were the Hungry 'Thirties, the years of the Great Depression and the money was scarce. There was possibly enough of a market to support one luxury four-cylinder model, but not two. In a head-on battle for sales, the Ariel Square Four won, and the rival Matchless Silver Hawk lost out. | That says it all, really. But for all its proclaimed virtues, the Matchless Four did not exactly take the world by storm, and after struggling on for a few seasons, it was quietly dropped from the range in 1935. No discredit to the bike itself, of course, but these were the Hungry 'Thirties, the years of the Great Depression and the money was scarce. There was possibly enough of a market to support one luxury four-cylinder model, but not two. In a head-on battle for sales, the Ariel Square Four won, and the rival Matchless Silver Hawk lost out. | ||