Founded: 1899
Matchless headquarters: Plumstead, London, United Kingdom
Matchless is one of the first brands of British motor industry. The company was engaged in production in London from 1899 to 1966.
During this time, a lot of models were produced under the brand name Matchless, starting from small two-stroke ones and ending with large 750-cubic-two-cylinder four-cycle motorcycles. Moreover, the Matchless logo meant a lot to customers, because the reputation of the company as a manufacturer of really high-quality bikes was maintained thanks to the races. The company took an active part in motorcycle races, and in 1907, Charlie Collier won the first Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man on the small single-cylinder Matchless. The model immediately became extremely popular.
However, over time, the interest in Matchless bikes became low, and in 1967, they stopped producing motorcycles.
An attempt to revive the brand was made in 1987 by Les Harris, a well-known manufacturer of spare parts for classic British motorcycles. However, the demand for retro-motorcycles was small, and the company refused to further revive Matchless.