Indian Classic Cars for Sale

The American motorcycle company Indian was founded in Springfield, Massachusetts. Indian first produced motorcycles from 1901 until 1953 before the company was closed down. The brand was recently revived and modern Indian motorcycles have been built since 2013.

The History of Indian Motorcycles

The Indian Motorcycle Co. was originally founded in 1897, by George M. Hendee to manufacture bicycles. The following couple of years they turned to producing motorcycles, being one of the first companies in the United States to do so. They were immediately popular and sales continued to increase over the following decade, rising to a peak in 1913 of around 32,000. During World War One, Indian sold the bulk of its motorcycles to the US government, which caused a huge supply drain to its dealers and a decrease in domestic sales that it never managed to fully regain from. In the process, Indian lost its number one spot in the market to Harley Davidson. After the war, Indian released its most popular models. The Scout (produced between 1920 and 1949), The Chief (produced from 1922 to 1953), and the Four (produced from 1927 until 1942). During World War Two, Indian again made motorcycles for the United States army, but also for the British and Commonwealth forces, though Harley Davidson continued to be the main choice for the US military. After WW2 Indian slowly but steadily declined under duPont and Ralph Rogers until 1953 when all manufacturing ceased.

The Indian Name Since 1953

In 1953 Brockhouse Engineering bought the rights to the Indian name and sold modified versions of Royal Enfield motorcycles imported from England under its name. The key models during this time were the Indian Chief, Apache, Trailblazer, Woodsman, Tomahawk, Hounds Arrow, Westerner, Fire Arrow, Lance and Patrol Car. Indian kept its English connection in 1960 when the name was acquired by AMC but the company went bankrupt in 1962. Since then the Indian name has passed through various hands until 2013 when Polaris acquired the name and has been building Indian branded motorcycles since then.

A Key Model

There are many sought after models in the Indian range but perhaps the most desirable is the 1940 Chief. When it was released, it impressed people with its excellent handling and performance. However, the styling really wowed people. It was the first Indian Model with the big skirted fenders that would go on to become the Indian trademark look.

The Land Speed Record

In the 1960s, a New Zealander called Burt Munro set various land speed records in a 1920s Indian Scout that he had modified over a period of twenty years.