VOL. 53 ISSUE 43 NOVEMBER 1, 2016 P33
because of ongoing litigation be-
tween Regal and another Indian
company over the use of the BSA
brand name there.
Mahindra has not yet declared
how or where it plans to develop
a new range of BSA models,
but it's understood that it aims
to establish its own BSA R&D
center in the UK, just as its
Royal Enfield rival has just done,
and to manufacture BSAs in the
marque's country of origin. The
acquisition of BSA and the deal
to use the Jawa name on its In-
dian-built models shows the firm
plans to use its deep pockets to
carve out a significant role in the
global two-wheeled industry, and
more is likely to be explained in
a press conference to be held in
London next Thursday, Novem-
ber 3, at Mahindra Group's Euro-
pean HQ.
BSA was originally a maker of
guns which turned to produc-
ing its first motorcycle in 1910,
and went on to become Britain's
largest manufacturer by the early
1960s, the 20,000-strong work-
force in its Birmingham factory
producing over 50,000 bikes
annually, against 30,000 by
Triumph, 20,000 by AJS/Match-
less, and just 5000 Nortons. A
well-organized importer network
ensured that export sales flowed
strongly, with BSA's wholly
owned North American dis-
tributor running Triumph a close
second in sales there.
While not focused as intensely
on competition as Norton and
Triumph, modified BSA produc-
tion models scored success on
the racetrack, as in 1954 when
BSA dominated the Daytona 200,
with Bobby Hill leading a BSA
sweep of the first five places,
while Jeff Smith won the 500cc
MX World Championship in 1964-
65 on his B40. In 1971 Dick Mann
won the Daytona 200 on his Rob
North-framed BSA Rocket-3,
and John Cooper the Ontario
200 on a similar bike, while also
beating Agostini's works 500GP
MV Agusta at Mallory Park and
Brands Hatch on successive
weekends. Yet by 1972 BSA was
in the hands of the receivers,
thanks to catastrophically bad
management by an inadequate
board of directors.
BSA's final collapse came af-
ter two years of late production,
when its models twice missed
America's early-spring buying
period. Its motorcycle business
was merged with Triumph and
Norton-Villiers as part of a Brit-
ish government-initiated rescue
plan to create NVT, headed by
Dennis Poore. He shut down the
Small Heath factory, and BSA
was no more. Until now.
Alan Cathcart
