A picture of a Villiers-engined Cotton trials mount scanned from an original sales promotion from this company, which began producing motorcycles in 1918. When, in the early Seventies, Norton-Villiers-Triumph decided to use all of their Villiers engines to produce the AJS Stormer motocrossers, small British firms like Cotton and Greeves were left high and dry. Greeves turned to the Austrian engine-maker Puch, and Cotton turned to the Italian firm, Minarelli. It was the last hurrah: Greeves closed its doors in 1976, and Cotton followed suit in 1980. Anyway, the Cotton sure had lovely lines.
(Thanks to Jim from Vermont for pointing out that the bike pictured below has the 170cc Minarelli engine, and not a Villiers power plant as incorrectly stated above.)
To read a 1968 road test of the 37A Villiers-powered Cotton Trials, click here. Would have cost you $480 US in that year.
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