ARIEL

Ariel Motor Co.

Boston, Massachusetts (1905)

Nutley, New Jersey (1906)

Bridgeport, Connecticut (1906)

Baltimore, Maryland (1906-1907)

This is an Ariel combined nameplate/serial plate (1905)      mjs
Size: 63mm wide 32mm high

The Ariel was an advanced motorcar with a distinctive curved dash and an oval shaped radiator. Production of the Ariel began in Boston and was available as a 15 hp three-cylinder runabout and a 25 hp four-cylinder touring by the time of the Boston Automobile Show in March 1905. From 1906 the Ariel had become a 30 hp four-cylinder touring model only. The slogan used to promote the Ariel was "Look for the Oval Front".

The Ariel manufacturing plant moved to Nutley in New Jersey in January 1906 and then moved to Bridgeport in Connecticut and then to Baltimore in Maryland. By early in 1907 the car had been renamed the Maryland. It appears that the Company could not pay the rent on its plants and kept moving to new locations. 

Production figures are not known but are likely to have been low.

Emblem

The Ariel did not carry a radiator emblem. It may have displayed a brass radiator script but I cannot confirm this. 

The first Ariel logo was a script version of the "Ariel" name, see the early Ariel advertisement below:

This is an early Ariel ad showing an "Ariel" script logo 

A similar "Ariel" logo appeared on the first Ariel nameplate/serial plate in 1905, see example above at the top of this post. This Ariel nameplate/serial plate is very rare.

The Ariel logo was changed later in 1905, as shown on the Ariel advertisement below:

This shows the new Ariel logo (1905)  

A variation of this logo showing the oval Ariel radiator and curved dash was used on subsequent Ariel nameplate/serial plates, see unused example below from when the Ariel moved to Nutley, New Jersey in early 1906. Original used examples of this nameplate are rare, as very few Ariel cars were built in Nutley before production moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut.

This is a Nutley Ariel nameplate/serial plate (1906)     sam
Size: 125mm wide 58mm high

The same style of nameplate continued after the move to Bridgeport, see example shown below. This Ariel nameplate is rare.

This is a Bridgeport Ariel nameplate/serial plate (1906)    khc
Size: 125mm wide 58mm high

Somewhere there will be a nameplate for Ariel cars built in Baltimore. Please send me a photo. if you have it and I will update this post.