Green Paint Question

[Dave.Barkshire]

Some Ariels have green tanks from the factory and it seems that these are export models so far as I can tell. Does anyone know whether this was a standard for export, for what year range and whether it was on all models?

[dave.owen]

Paul Jameson will be along shortly. Certainly was an export colour.
Dave

[Ian.Taylor]

Chris Shearwood ( member) from Quebec 1950 NG has a green tank

[simon.holyfield]

Not being quite the expert that Messrs. Gwynne & Jameson are, I'll defer to their knowledge but I can tell you that after going through the first 16 pages of the 1935 VH despatch book, the vast majority - possibly all - the bikes that are shown as 'green finish' have export tab numbers. It's certainly a lovely colour.

Curiously enough, I found a batch shipped without tyres, which is something I hadn't seen before.

[paul.jameson]

The green colour was certainly for export - mainly. If you look at the 1937 catalogue for Italy, the tank is described as verde -green in Italian. Sadly, my Italian is very limited but it certainly looks like green with gold lining to me. I believe that the green export colour was used for much of the 1930s.

Having said that, there are exceptions to the rule of green for export only. One E. Pascall of Guildford appears on both the first and second page of the despatch book for 1936/7 Square Fours with a 4G described as "Export green finish with gold lines". I know that most Ariels were purchased through dealers but there is enough evidence for me to be fairly sure a few bikes went direct to individual customers from the factory. E Pascall may well be one of those and with a name like that could well be a Frenchman, perhaps living and working in Guildford for a time. Various UK journalists also managed to acquire green finish bikes from the factory.

I have yet to find a Red Hunter with a green tank (but that may only be a matter of time) but export VG and VB models are common.

Postwar, it was easier to obtain a green finish bike in the UK, but again, not for the Red Hunter models (logically enough).

Personally, I like the colour so I restored my 1936 Square Four in green, justified on the strength of our friend E. Pascall.

When I get to the stage of painting my 1934 OHC Four, that will probably be green as well - since I found one (I think for export) in the despatch book somewhere or other.........

[Dave.Barkshire]

Thanks Paul.

[nevhunter]

Kermit (the frog) said "It's not easy Being GREEN". Nev

[david.anderson]

To my knowledge all VG and VB into Australia were green. I have never seen a black one in original colour that was an import. I would be interested to know if there were any black ones exported to Australia.
A further point is that the 1953 green was a darker shade than the export green of prior years.
David

[Roger Gwynn]

My experience confirms Paul's comments that the green was almost only seen on exported de=luxe machines, that includes 'B' models, but was seen on home market models later on. Bob Curry had a very nice 1950 KG in green, beautiful patina that ended up being 'restored' after he died, by the NMM. Further research required as to the proportion of green bikes to which country in which years. How did UK customers know that a green finish was available as I have never seen any mention of it; were there Italian catalogues being circulated on the Ariel underground?

[Paul Slootheer]

Paul’s Sq4 green looks to come quite near BMC Reseda Green.