As the roaring twenties turned in to the depressed thirties, it was your last chance to visit the 1930 motorcycle show at Olympia, London.
Two new motorcycles were unveiled that justified the entrance fee alone.
Matchless presented their new Silver Hawk with its V4 engine.
Matchless had tried to come up with innovative new engine design, something that would give them both a mechanical advantage and a new marketing tool. The 397cc V-Twin that was fitted to their existing premium model, the Silver Arrow, suffered from overheating problems, broken gearboxes and being too slow. Rather than change too many components from the earlier Arrow, Ariel instead focussed on the engine and arrived at the show with their new luxury motorcycle.
There was competition from just one other new four cylinder machine at Olympia that year - the legendary Ariel Square Four.
The 500cc Square Four, designed by Edward Turner, caused a huge sensation. “Easily the finest motor cycle for general purposes I have ever ridden,” opined The Motor Cycle when it got to ride the ‘Squariel’ in 1931.
Edward Turner at Ariel
The Great Depression killed off the Silver Hawk after fours years in production. The Ariel stayed the course for much longer, evolving over time until it was finally consigned to history in 1959.