Description
This motorcycle is Lot 125 of Bonhams Motorcycles Online – The Summer Sale; open for bidding 5-15th June 2026. This Lot is available for public view and eventual collection from Bonhams Motorcycle Department, Milton Keynes.
Please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Bidding on all Lots commences Friday 5 June, 12:00 noon.
Bidding closes Monday 15 June, 12:00 noon, starting with Lot 1
Each subsequent Lot will then close one minute apart unless bidding remains active.
Public Viewing (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY):
All Lots:
Wednesday 10 June, 9am - 5pm
Thursday 11 June, 9am - 5pm
Please email using the button below with your availability to schedule an appointment.
Lot 125
The Connoisseurs Collection, Part III
c. 1970 Ariel 3 Moped
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. not visible
Engine no. 48 402621
This Lot has arrived in the UK from overseas under Temporary Admission. Shippio Ltd must complete all post-sale customs clearance administration, for import or export, on behalf of the purchaser. A compulsory fee of £195 + VAT will be added to the buyer's invoice for this service. This Lot may not be collected from the auction venue by the purchaser or any third-party transporter until Shippio Ltd has confirmed that this Lot has cleared customs.
If this Lot is to remain in the UK, or is not exported within 90 days of the sale, Import VAT at 5% of the hammer price will be payable.
"Here it is. Whatever it is." That was how the BSA Group's advertisers heralded the arrival of the ill-conceived Ariel 3 in 1970. A tricycle aimed squarely at commuters, the Ariel 3 was powered by a 50cc Dutch Anker engine and featured a clever banking front end controlled by torsion bars, while its closely-spaced rear wheels, which remained upright, allowed the Ariel trike to be classed as a moped. Sadly, the machine turned out to be a disastrous flop, the £2 million wasted on the project playing a big part in precipitating the Group's subsequent collapse.
Presented in restored condition, this Ariel 3 was purchased for the vendor's important overseas collection in December 2004 from the well-known Italian journalist and collector, Giovanni Perrone (copy invoice on file). The Ariel was previously registered in the UK as 'VFW 20J' but that registration is not recorded in either the DVLA or HPI databases. Accordingly, prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves with regard to this vehicle's registration status prior to bidding. We were unable to locate a frame number for the machine at time of cataloguing.
Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will require recommissioning and/ or restoration to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's completeness, history, authenticity, originality and mechanical condition prior to bidding.
£400 - 800
All lots are sold ‘as is/ where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
