Royal Enfield factory sidecar racer Oblin 1922 endurance race photo motorcycle

Description

A superb
and rare photo of the Royal Enfield factory racer with Oblin in 1922 before the
start of an endurance race at Marly!
Royal
Enfield
was the brand of the Enfield
Cycle Company, an English engineering company. Most famous for producing
motorcycles, they also produced bicycles, lawnmowers, stationary engines, and
even rifle parts for the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield Lock. This legacy
of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto
“Made like a gun, goes like a bullet”. It also enabled the use of the
brand name Royal Enfield from 1890. In 1955 Enfield of India started assembling
Bullet motorcycles under licence from
UK
components, and by 1962 were manufacturing complete bikes.
The original
Redditch
, Worcestershire-based company dissolved in 1970, but Enfield
of India, based in Chennai, continued, and bought the rights to the Royal
Enfield name in 1995. Royal
Enfield
production continues, and now Royal Enfield is considered
the oldest motorcycle model in the world still in production and Bullet is the
longest production run model. About 1890, Townsend got himself into a bit of
financial trouble. He called in some financiers from
Birmingham
, but they didn’t quite see eye to eye so Townsend parted
ways with the financiers leaving the company to them. The financiers then
appointed R. W. Smith & Albert Eadie to take control of Townsend’s in
November 1891. The following year the company was rechristened as “The
Eadie Manufacturing Company Ltd”. Soon, Albert Eadie got a profitable
contract to supply precision rifle parts to the Royal Small Arms Factory in
Enfield
, Middlesex. To celebrate the contract, Eadie and Smith
decided to call their new design of bicycle the “
Enfield
“. A new company was created to market these new design
bicycles called “The Enfield Manufacturing
Co.
Ltd”, in October 1892. The next year, the word “Royal” (after
the Royal Small Arms Factory) was added to the company name and thus the Royal
Enfield began. Their trademark, “Made Like A Gun” appeared in 1893.
The first automotive vehicles with the Royal Enfield name were produced in 1898
– a quadricycle with a De Dion-Bouton 2.75 hp engine. This appears to be the
first motorised example of what we now refer to as “ATV’s” or
“Quad’s”. In 1901 came the Motor Bicycle with a 150 cc 1.5 hp (1 kW)
engine above the front wheel. In 1902 a similar contraption appeared with an
Enfield
engine of 239 cc 2.75 hp (2 kW). In 1910 came
the first of the famous
Enfield
V-twins, first with Motosacoche 344 cc 2.75 hp
(2 kW) engines, later with
Enfield
‘s own engine. Until World War I the big twins with
770 cc six hp J.A.P. engines and after WWI 976 cc eight hp
Vickers-Wolseley engines. In 1915 came the first of the small two stroke
225 cc engines, starting with model 200. The company merged with Alldays
& Onions in 1907 and produced cars called Enfield-Allday until 1925. The
First World War began in 1914. Royal
Enfield
was called on to supply motorcycles to the British war
department and even awarded a contract to build bikes for the Imperial Russian
Government during the same period. The machine gun combination and the
6 hp (4.5 kW) stretcher-carrying outfit were some of the models
produced for the war purpose.
Enfield
started using its own engines, a 225 cc two-stroke single
and a 425 cc V-twin about this time. In 1917, the officers of the woman’s
police force were issued with a 2.1\4 RE 2 stroke. The models of this period
featured 600 cc, inlet-over-exhaust closed valve gear, hand operated oil pump,
two speed countershaft gearbox and chain final drive.
This is
a very nice and very
non period
rare photo that reflects a wonderful era
of motorcycle history in a wonderful way. This is your rare chance to
own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format of ca.
8″ x 12″ (ca. 20 x 30 cm). It makes it perfectly suitable for
framing!
Contact
us for more motorcycle photos of the old and famous American and European
motorcycle brands and save on shipping!
Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you
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(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on
photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright
expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our
archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well
protected in PVC clear files
and board backed
envelopes.
We have
photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the
original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and
excellent quality.
After many decades
of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our
archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They
will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a
border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace,
restaurant, bar or club!
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first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any
questions before the auction ends.