It was in November 1901 that Royal Enfield launched its first motorcycle at the Stanley Cycle Show in London, kickstarting the journey of an iconic brand which has since inspired millions in their pursuit of pure motorcycling over the last 120 years. From these humble beginnings in 1901, Royal Enfield, the oldest motorcycle brand in continuous production, has been a preserver of the legacy of building simple, fun and authentic motorcycles, to date.
To mark this milestone year, Royal Enfield, today unveiled the 120th Year Anniversary Edition of its popular 650 Twin motorcycles – the Interceptor INT 650 and the Continental GT 650 at EICMA 2021. Conceptualized and designed in celebration of Royal Enfield’s rich and storied legacy, the motorcycles present a unique opportunity for global enthusiasts to own a piece of motorcycling history with a limited production run of only 480 units, distributed as 120 units each for India, Europe, Americas and South-East Asia, comprising of 60 Continental GT 650 and 60 Interceptor INT 650 for each region.
Speaking on the launch, Siddhartha Lal, Managing Director of Eicher Motors Ltd. said,
“Few brands can celebrate the kind of legacy and history that Royal Enfield has enjoyed over the last century and a lot of this legacy is from the immense love the brand has received from riders through the ages. There was simply no better way of celebrating this milestone than sharing a piece of it with our consumers around the world. We are delighted to bring the 120th Anniversary Edition 650 Twin motorcycles to enthusiasts around the world, and share the brand’s legacy with them. Both the Interceptor and the Continental GT are hugely successful around the world today, as they were in the 1960’s, and truly represent our heritage of making simple and enjoyable motorcycles”
The globally successful 650 Twin motorcycles – the Interceptor and the Continental GT – have received immense love from riding enthusiasts across the world and in the process have also raked in numerous, coveted global automotive awards. Inspired by the legendary Royal Enfield Interceptor 750 and Continental GT 250 of the 1960’s, these motorcycles have been instrumental in the brand’s global expansion and success over the last few years. The significance and relevance of the Interceptor INT and the Continental GT 650, both in Royal Enfield’s glorious past, and modern history, made them an obvious choice for the anniversary edition.
Given the milestone and exclusivity, the 120th Year anniversary edition Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 have been designed and handcrafted by the company’s teams across the UK and India.
The unique, rich black-chrome tank colour scheme, has been developed in-house, with Royal Enfield’s industry-leading chroming technology at the company’s original 1950’s manufacturing factory in Thiruvottiyur, Chennai – India. The motorcycles are chromed with an alternate, sustainable trivalent eco- friendly process.. To complement the black chrome tanks, both the Continental GT 650 and Interceptor 650 will feature, for the first time, completely blacked out components, with the engine, silencer and other elements in an array of black colour schemes. The motorcycles will also come equipped with a range of Genuine Motorcycle Accessories such as flyscreens, engine guards, heel guards, touring and bar end mirrors amongst others in a black disguise to compliment the overall design.
Proudly celebrating the brand’s handcrafted DNA, the 120th Year Anniversary edition motorcycles will feature a very unique, handcrafted, die-cast brass tank badge. These exquisite looking brass badges have been made in collaboration with the ‘Sirpi Senthil’ family who are multi-generational artisans from the temple town of Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India. Particularly specialized in making the elegant brass effigies for the most revered temples in India for centuries, this is the first time that these artisans have collaborated with any automotive brand.
Reminiscent of the brand’s legacy of passionately building handcrafted motorcycles, the 120th Year Anniversary edition Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650s will also boast of the legendary Royal Enfield hand-painted pinstripes.
To make each motorcycle even more exclusive, the tank top badge will feature the unique serial number of each motorcycle indicating that it is 1 of 60 unique motorcycles in any of the four regions mentioned around the world. Additionally, the motorcycles will also adorn a side panel decal that is a special ode to Royal Enfield’s 120 years.
In India, the 120th Year Anniversary Edition Twins will be made available via a limited time online sale on December 6, 2021, on the brand’s website- www.royalenfield.com/120thedition. Consumers interested in owning one of these gorgeous motorcycles can register themselves, starting tomorrow, 24th November, on the website. The details for the sale process will be shared directly on the registered email addresses.
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