Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Given the recent interest in HT3 this one popped up https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1695 ... e=sendgrid

The standard road frame number is already on the register listed with its original VH engine in 1988. This bike was despatched to Comerford's in late 1954 and the registration dates from that time. It would appear that its identity has been stolen to be used on this replica. The engine number is from a genuine HT3, also delivered to Comerford's in frame RT 223

So, someone has taken a replica HT frame, a genuine HT engine and box and used a VH to donate it's frame number & registration number to get it on the road?

I imagine there will be some requests for the identity to be confirmed before the auction. The 'DU' should ring an alarm bell with the minimum of research. The advert indicates a second frame number starting AMA. Isn't 'AMA' a NH engine?

Did Ariel provide replacement frames already numbered or were they left blank?

Years ago I had a new postwar rigid frame which I passed on to Draganfly when they were still in
London and as far as I remember this frame was not numbered but I'm not sure now.

AMA is the 1957 350 prefix but was also used for most of the HT3.
As far as I understand it crankcases were supplied blank, the idea being that the old number would be transferred and the old cases destroyed, given the number of machines with blank cases this didn't always happen. Complete engines appear in the despatch books as they were given numbers but frames were never listed separately but as they were supplied enamelled the number would already be on there. There are a lot of CAPR 1958 s/arm frames with higher numbers than in the despatch books and they are assumed to be later replacement frames, similarly there is a DU 1955 sequence supplied as replacements for 1954-55. Additional evidence is that there are a lot, perhaps 2-5%, of frame numbers missing, some due to clerical errors but no doubt also on frames supplied as spares, certainly a few of these have turned up over the years.