Anyone see this about BSA / Norton getting acquired by "Mahindra" from India?

[JJ]

http://www.cartoq.com/mahindras-future-bikes-to-look-like-this-we-like/

 

[oldbike54]

 Aside from the fact that the writer needs a history lesson ... What I really wish is that all of those venerable old brands would be left in the past , Lotus , Brough , Ariel , Vincent , Norton , Oldsmobile, (OK Oldsmobile isn't venerable )

                                       The all new for 2017 Hupmobile 

 Dusty

[LowRyter]

Olds

fastest thing around

[Lannis]

A "Mahindra" motorcycle will have as much to do with a BSA or Norton as a new "Excelsior" motorcycle had to do with "Excelsior" - that is, nothing.

Let 'em name it what they want.   Heckfire, when BSA named the 1971 500cc unit single a "Gold Star", they hurt themselves more than they helped.   NOBODY believed it.

Lannis

[Aaron D.]

I don't think it would be a bad thing, Mahindra has been winning races in Moto3, makes the Peugeot Moto3 bike-and sells a lot of bikes in India. Norton and BSA are cool names, not nothing more now, so they'd make a good decoration on the side of a tank.

[rboe]

Royal Enfield needs a good competitor, and a refined Gold Star would be the ticket.

But they need a good mid-sized twin to round out the offerings.

[Nick]

Aside from the fact that the writer needs a history lesson ... What I really wish is that all of those venerable old brands would be left in the past , Lotus , Brough , Ariel , Vincent , Norton , Oldsmobile, (OK Oldsmobile isn't venerable )

                                       The all new for 2017 Hupmobile 

 Dusty

You forgot Indian 

[Aaron D.]

Funny. Indian proves what a good brand can do, because the originals were pretty badly made.

[oldbike54]

You forgot Indian 

 Yeah , the Polarindian , or as someone said a couple of years back , "wouldn't that be an Eskimo?"

 

Funny. Indian proves what a good brand can do, because the originals were pretty badly made.

 Actually the prewar Indian Motocycle  products were considered a high quality machine.

 Dusty

[LeRoy]

If one digs a little deeper it seems to be that Classic Legends, a newly-acquired subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, has itself acquired the rights and assets associated with BSA. Separately, they also acquired certain licensing rights to the Jawa brand, apparently for marketing in India. And Mahindra & Mahindra had previously acquired a majority stake in Peugeot's motorcycle business. However, nothing else I found indicated that any of these acquisition also included the Norton brand, licensing rights or the current Norton motorcycle business.

My takeaway from this is that Mahindra & Mahindra, through its Classic Legends subsidiary and its Peugeot holdings, seems intent on using existing and established brands to enter new motorcycle segments and markets as well as to shore up its moribund existing motorcycle efforts in India and elsewhere.

But I don't see Norton involved in this at all.

[Aaron D.]

Yeah , the Polarindian , or as someone said a couple of years back , "wouldn't that be an Eskim?"

 
 Actually the prewar Indian Motocycle  products were considered a high quality machine.

 Dusty

Well, yes, back a bit before the war. During the war, well, no. Either way, I have no real problem with most of the revival brands.

[rodekyll]

A "Mahindra" motorcycle will have as much to do with a BSA or Norton as a new "Excelsior" motorcycle had to do with "Excelsior" - that is, nothing.

Let 'em name it what they want.   Heckfire, when BSA named the 1971 500cc unit single a "Gold Star", they hurt themselves more than they helped.   NOBODY believed it.

Lannis

Yup.

Kinda like that Eldorado.

[Lannis]

What I think is funny is when people think that Lightning Will Certainly Strike Twice ....

Like old Fords and MoPars.   In the 60's, Ford made the common-or-garden Mustang, and ALSO made some "GT"-badged versions and Shelby-inspired versions of the same cars, with a lot of performance and styling cues on them ... and their cousins-by-marriage, the Shelby Cobras, were made out of AC Aces.

People have noticed that if a plain original Mustang sells for X, a GT version will sell for 5X, a Shelby version for 20X, and an original 289 or 427 Cobra will sell for 100X.

So now Ford is selling Mustangs again, and they've had the idea "Let's try THIS out on them!" ... so they make "GT" versions and "Shelby" versions and "Cobra" versions of the basic car, and people are buying them up and covering them up inside their shops, just WAITING for that 20X or 100X "investment" boost to show up ... and they'll go the same way as the Royal Wedding and Silver Jubilee Triumphs did in the late 70s - worth no more, really, than the base car.

Just like the "Hemi"s, it only happens once.   Whatever it is that's going to be the big collector car of today in 2050, nobody, by definition, knows what it is yet .... !

Lannis

[Triple Jim]

Just like the "Hemi"s, it only happens once.   Whatever it is that's going to be the big collector car of today in 2050, nobody, by definition, knows what it is yet .... !

There's where you're wrong.  It's going to be my '84 Dodge B150 van.

[Shorty]

So does this mean Rush Limbaugh will be doing BSA commercials instead of Mahindra commercials? HMMM?

[JJ]

QUOTE: Yup. Kinda like that Eldorado.

My late father always liked big V8's, Cadillac's, Oldsmobile's, and Buick's.   

One HUGE whale comes to mind, his 1975 Eldorado...(just like this one!) - 425 cubic inches of front-wheel drive!  

It was so long, it would not fit in our garage!!   It rode well, but it was a BEAST!

[not-fishing]

  Actually the prewar Indian Motocycle  products were considered a high quality machine.

 Dusty

My Granddad had one that he put into a barb wire fence back in the 30's.  He sold it because the parts were to expensive and he had to leave the State.  The "Revenuers" were after him for not paying taxes on his jugs "home brew".   

Oldsmobile, (OK Oldsmobile isn't venerable )

 

And don't be badmouthing Olds,  Granddad used to buy one every few years, put over 150,000 miles on it and trade it in on a new one.  He did that from the 50's through 70's.  Try that with a 1950 Toyota.



Mark my Fiat and Alfa were more reliable than my 1980's Toyota Supra with "chocolate cams"

[ohiorider]

Olds

fastest thing around

Rocket 88!  Your pic brings back memories.  My older brother was in high school (1948 - 49) and was certain he'd convinced my dad to replace his 1946 Ford with a new Olds 88 with Hydromatic.  To his surprise and dismay, he arrived home to see not a Rocket 88 but a pea soup green Chrysler Windsor sedan with an in-line 6 and Fluid Drive. I was only 7 years old, but can still remember my brother's disappointment over the Chrysler.

[rocker59]

QUOTE: Yup. Kinda like that Eldorado.

My late father always liked big V8's, Cadillac's, Oldsmobile's, and Buick's.   

One HUGE whale comes to mind, his 1975 Eldorado...(just like this one!) - 425 cubic inches of front-wheel drive!  

It was so long, it would not fit in our garage!!   It rode well, but it was a BEAST!

A beast.  Sort of...

ENGINE DETAILS
Displacement: 8.2 Litres, V-8 (500 CID)
Bore and Stroke: 4.30 x 4.304
Compression Ratio: 8.50 to 1
SAE Net Horsepower: 190 @ 4000 rpm

http://automotivemileposts.com/eldorado/prod1975eldo.html

[JJ]

Another "whale" my Dad owned was a 1969 Oldsmobile 98 4-door (see photos)   It had a 455 cubic inch, 4-barrel, 390 HP Rocket V8 motor.   The original Low Rider!

At age 18, a friend and I drove this monster from upstate NY to Vail / Aspen CO and back to go skiing.  With almost 150,000 miles on the odometer, it barely used a quart of oil the entire trip!   It also had a factory 8-track player, so we rocked the whole way out and back!!  Good times!



 

[JJ]

A beast.  Sort of...

ENGINE DETAILS
Displacement: 8.2 Litres, V-8 (500 CID)
Bore and Stroke: 4.30 x 4.304
Compression Ratio: 8.50 to 1
SAE Net Horsepower: 190 @ 4000 rpm

http://automotivemileposts.com/eldorado/prod1975eldo.html

Thanks for the correction - - - 500 CID!! -  - Even LARGER than I remembered!!

[oldbike54]

 Who brought up Oldsmobile ? That guy should ... oh wait , never mind 

 Dusty

[JJ]

QUOTE:  Aside from the fact that the writer needs a history lesson ... What I really wish is that all of those venerable old brands would be left in the past , Lotus , Brough , Ariel , Vincent , Norton , Oldsmobile, (OK Oldsmobile isn't venerable )  The all new for 2017 Hupmobile  - - Dusty

The same guy who brought up..."The Hupmobile!" (LOL)    Here is a 1925 example! 




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[oldbike54]

QUOTE:  Aside from the fact that the writer needs a history lesson ... What I really wish is that all of those venerable old brands would be left in the past , Lotus , Brough , Ariel , Vincent , Norton , Oldsmobile, (OK Oldsmobile isn't venerable )  The all new for 2017 Hupmobile  - - Dusty

The same guy who brought up..."The Hupmobile!" (LOL)    Here is a 1925 example! 




image

hosting

for

forums

 I've tried reporting that guy , but for some reason the complaints keep coming back to me 

 Seriously , nothing wrong with Oldsmobile , or Hupmobile , although if we are gonna resurrect marques from the past , someone should really use Genial-Lucifer , or New Motorcycle , both short lived French brands 

 Dusty

[JJ]

When I lived / worked in Aachen, Germany 2004-2005, I came very close to buying one of these cool, now extinct French brands....The VOXAN!! :1:


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[JJ]

QUOTE:....someone should really use Genial-Lucifer , or New Motorcycle , both short lived French brands 

C'mon now...how cool would it be to show up at Bike Night on a running example of one of these iconic classics!!  :1:

[Two Checks]

My grandfather was a Hupmobile dealer way back when in Kansas.

[Rotten Ralph]

A "Mahindra" motorcycle will have as much to do with a BSA or Norton as a new "Excelsior" motorcycle had to do with "Excelsior" - that is, nothing.

Let 'em name it what they want.   Heckfire, when BSA named the 1971 500cc unit single a "Gold Star", they hurt themselves more than they helped.   NOBODY believed it.

Lannis

Couldn't agree more. 

[Lannis]

Them Mahindra boys think they so smart, let's see 'em make and sell some of THESE ....



I wouldn't be able to afford it, but I'd shut up about it ....

Lannis

[Tom]

 

I see the ads for the smaller Mahindra tractor/loader.  How are they quality wise?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahindra_Tractors