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310Property of a deceased’s estate1926 Coventry Eagle 980cc Flying EightRegistration no. SR 5477Frame no. 37577Engine no. KTOR/T49039 (see text)‘There is an undeniable fascination in owning a machine capableof seemingly illimitable speed. For ordinary running the engine ismerely idling, 50mph seems like 30mph on most machines, 60mphis a comfortable touring speed, while when one of those veryrare stretches of really safe road is encountered the speedometerneedle will, when the throttle is opened wide, pass the 80mphbefore remaining steady.’ – Motor Cycling testing a Coventry EagleFlying Eight, with sidecar attached, in 1925 (4th November edition.Established in Victorian times as a bicycle manufacturer, Coventry-Eagle built a diverse range of motorcycles using proprietary (mainlyJAP) engines from 1901 onwards, though machines only began to beproduced in significant numbers after WWI. Six Coventry-Eagles wereoffered for 1923, all JAP-powered except for a Blackburne-engined350, ranging from the formidable Flying Eight to the diminutiveS14 Ultra-Lightweight. Most famous of these was the Flying Eightwhich, with its 1.0-litre JAP v-twin engine and muscular goodlooks, was a worthy rival for the Brough Superior and a formidableBrooklands racing machine. Introduced in 1923, the Flying Eight wasnot Coventry-Eagle’s first v-twin but it was the first to establish asporting reputation thanks to its special 976cc sidevalve engine thatguaranteed a top speed of 80mph, an exceptional performance atthe time.Motor Cycle’s tester found that the Flying Eight was tractable,comfortable and handled well in town, while ‘on the open road, asone would expect, it is possible to annihilate space on the merestwhiff of gas...’In 1926 the sidevalve version was joined by a new andeven faster overhead-valve engined Flying Eight, again JAP powered.Motor Cycling concluded its test of the OHV Flying Eight thus:‘We have no hesitation in recommending the latest Coventry Eagleas a high-quality machine, capable of the most satisfactory roadperformance both as regards speed and flexibility.’ And that, lest weforget, was with a sidecar attached.Within a few years however, the onset of the Depression had forcedCoventry-Eagle to change tack, the firm concentrating on bread-andbutterlightweights until it ceased motorcycle production in 1939. Thelast overhead-valve Flying Eight left the factory in 1930 and the finalsidevalve model the following year. Compared with the rival BroughSuperior, Flying Eight survivors are relatively few.94 | the spring stafford sale