Indian automotive company Mahindra has announced that it is to revive the BSA brand, via its subsidiary Classic Legends, which has already revived the Jawa name.
The British Bike Industry Is Back
It's back to the 1970s for the British Motorcycle Industry! Mahindra has announced that it is bringing back the BSA name, courtesy of its Classic Legends off-shoot, which has already resurrected the Jawa name.
Although BSA was only one of dozens of British manufacturers, it was one of the the final three British manufacturers to survive into the 1970s. With the continued success of Triumph and the recent announcements regarding Norton getting back into production, the arrival of BSA in effect recreates the British motorcycle industry as it once was.
The story of the demise of the British motorcycle industry is well documented, not least here on topspeed.com (see here, here , here and here) and, by the mid-1970s, only Triumph and Norton remained.
Norton eventually folded after a brief flirtation with rotary engines in the 1980s but it was a shadow of its former self.
Triumph, of course, underwent a phoenix-like resurrection in the 1990s and Norton, after a shaky start, is looking healthy once again under the ownership of Indian company TVS. Now, BSA is set to make a comeback as the owners of the name, Mahindra and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Classic Legends, have announced plans for a new range of motorcycles bearing the famous name.
No details have been given, just a announcement on the BSA Motorcycles Official Twitter account, stating:
“Return of a Legend. #BSAisBack. We’ve evolved, but our DNA remains unaltered.”
BSA already has a technical centre up and running in the British Midlands conducting R&D and spy shots have been doing the rounds showing a bike undergoing testing, as broken by Indian website www.thrustzone.com
As with Norton and the might of an Indian automotive giant behind the brand, don't expect this to be anything other than a pukka re-birth for the brand and what a tantalising prospect that brings: Triumph, Norton and BSA doing battle on showroom floors once again.
Naturally, we'll bring you all the news as and when it arrives.