Coventry Eagle at Blackpool. The most photographed vintage bike ever?

Another photo of the Blackpool Coventry Eagle. Back in the day ownership of a camera was confined to the wealthy and the enthusiast. Every weekend the seaside towns of England would be full of people bused in on Charabancs for day trips. Once you got there you promenaded, quite probably sank a brown ale or two and many folks popped in to a photo studio to have a picture taken for memories of the day. Motorcycles were popular props and in Blackpool one particular studio seemed to favour Coventry Eagles. I've come across literally countless snaps of this solo CE as well as a few of another CE with sidecar at the same studio. It seems pretty sure that with several photos taken every day for a period of a few years this Coventry Eagle would have been the most photographed bike, maybe ever or perhaps just up until the digital age.

Blackpool belles posing with a Coventry
Eagle.

Coventry Eagle studio pose

Strange how there seem to be so many studio posed photos featuring Coventry Eagles.  Maybe it was some kind of sponsorship deal. This particular bike bears the reg number CE 1927, from the same studio a photo has featured on the blog before with the reg CE 1930.

Posing in a studio with a vintage Coventry
Eagle. 

Coventry Eagle combo in a studio

Found this old photo postcard. It seemed familiar and on checking out it is the same machine and studio as this photo.

Late twenties Coventry Eagle
combination giving service as a
studio prop.

Coventry Eagle craziness

Just no idea what is going on here, could be that they are a music hall double act or could just be a couple of ladies having a laugh. Eitherways the bike is a studio prop as was popular at the time and is a rather nice late twenties Coventry Eagle.

Coventry Eagle studio prop.

Coventry Eagle combination

A nice studio shot of a couple of lads posing in a vintage Coventry Eagle combo. First thought was that the model is a Flying 8 but on close examination the exhaust exits on the wrong side and it looks like a twin port single

Vintage Coventry Eagle combo.





Coventry Eagle Pullman brochure

The Coventry Eagle Pullman, another of those motorcycle as car type machines that many manufacturers once thought the motorcyclist wanted not realising that motorcyclists who were enthusiasts wanted something sporting and motorcyclists who wanted car comfort were only riding a bike because they were cheaper than a car and if they had spare cash they would go ahead and buy a car.... Not many Pullmans were built or sold but there are a handful of survivors.

Technically it is an interesting machine, much use of pressed steel is made and the leaf spring rear suspension is unusual, it reminds me of the springing on a train carriage. This is not really a good thing but perhaps an inspiration for their Pullman model name. Like a number of the bike as car concepts this machine was built with small engines and small performance, undoubtedly with the extra weight significantly worse than a comparable traditional motorcycle. In earlier advertising literature Coventry Eagle heralded their mighty Flying 8 v-twin as a 'Pullman Express' after it was given this plaudit in Motor Cycling magazine. The Pullman was manufactured 1936 and 37.

Coventry Eagle Pullman brochure page 1.

Coventry Eagle Pullman brochure page 2.