Indian's spectacular Four made quite an impression on the American motorcycle landscape. At a time when most two-wheelers were happy chuffing along on one or two pistons, the sight of four cylinders all lined up was memorable. Indian's first Four rolled out in 1928, derived from the Ace four-cylinder design, which itself had roots back to Henderson's inline-four. Engineering improvements were soon undertaken as Indian put its own stamp on the motor. By 1938 the powerplant was essentially in its final from but the stylists would take one more big swing in 1940, adding plunger rear suspension, 16-inch balloon tires and, most importantly, those sweeping sheetmetal fenders to arrive at a motorcycle shape for the ages. Discontinued after the U.S. entered WWII, the Four would not make it back into production come peacetime, only adding to its iconic status.

This particular 1940 Indian Four from the first year of the restyle is one of three American machines in the Larry Lattin collection. It shows touches that were typically applied in period, namely a luggage rack, fringed saddle and whitewall tires. The fully chromed leaf-spring fork is also something that many Fours were treated to. The collection's caretaker reports that the Four ran well during Lattin's ownership.

Without Reserve