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Don't forget the RMC!
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- Thread starter Guppy
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Superfluous
My Mail is Forwarded Here
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And the Freewheelers Centinela:
Guppy
I'll Lock Up
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I may go broke chasing all of these, but I always wanted to look like the Rocketeer on my bike [emoji4]And the Freewheelers Centinela:
ace12
New in Town
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You'lol need the matching helmet too
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Edward
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Interesting thread. Always amuses me when you see a particular vintage style become big, then for a year orf two everyone does one, thaen it moves on to something else, or a different hide, or colour, or.... All the while, we jacketheads smugly insist we're not like those fickle fashion folks.... 
The Highwayman brand was, of course, owned by Rivett's of Leytonstone. At some point in the Sixties - I think towards the end, but I can never find any information as to when anywhere - Rivett's was bought over by Lewis. Back in the day, there was a real rivalry between Highwayman and Lewis products, very similar ranges. (Which is why, today, you can often find a bargain on a Highwayman version, as they're not as fashionable a brand as Lewis) Highwayman branded jackets seem to disappear in the early 70ssome time, as Lewis gradually shifts from its original, classic designs, into progressively more 'modern' fayre, with birghtly coloured leathers becoming very fashionable by 1978ish. This is why there was, back in the early 90s when Derek brought back all the classic models to Lewis and revamped the line, a dispute overownership of the name. Lewis had let "Highwayman" drop, so when Aero created their version (boxier, more of an American-style jacket than the shirt-collar types produced under the Highwayman brand in the UK in the Sixties - all by Ken's deliberate design) in 1983, they perfectly legally acquired the trade mark (much as they were able to acquire Aero back in the day, a deliberate reference to the long defunct Aero Beaconsfield, USA). Lewis contested this at one point, claiming they owned it because they bought it with Rivett's of Leytonstone, but they were obliged to cease and desist - British TM law requires that a mark, whether registered or unregistered, must be in use in good faith to be owned. (Vanson i the US have a model called a Highwayman - this is not a violation of Aero's TM, as so far as I know Aero's ownership of the Highwayman mark only extends to the UK).
You could probably put the Aero Original 59er Highwayman up alongside these jackets, as it is a deliberately faithful recreation of the original Highwayman-branded model of this type.
Interestingly, while I don't know who came first, both Highwayman and Mascot were producing these shirt-collar / straight-zip types by 1958. Lewis didn't introduce their Corsair / Dominator types until 1962. Mascot have been revivied in recent years, and while their jackets are now made in India or Pakistan rather than East London, they are priced about the same in real terms - and, at just under half the price, pitching at the same market level compared to Lewis as they did back in the 60s and 70s too. I've handled, but not had the opportunity to try on, the new Mascots. Nice jackets - muh lighter than you'd expect: these are not your hefty Horween hides. They are, however, about the same weight as a standard Lewis, Lewis Leathers never having been especially heavy either. This model in the Mascot range is called the Black Rock now, which I believe was also its name back in the day. The biggest change with the new Mascot jackets is that they are all-leather, whereas originally the underside of the collar was faux-leather, to help keep the cost down, as I recall.
Lewis Leathers Corsair (https://www.lewisleathers.com/productinfo.html?code=jak-60)
Highwayman (no longer made)
Mascot Black Rock (http://www.mascotleathers.com/black-rock)
The Highwayman brand was, of course, owned by Rivett's of Leytonstone. At some point in the Sixties - I think towards the end, but I can never find any information as to when anywhere - Rivett's was bought over by Lewis. Back in the day, there was a real rivalry between Highwayman and Lewis products, very similar ranges. (Which is why, today, you can often find a bargain on a Highwayman version, as they're not as fashionable a brand as Lewis) Highwayman branded jackets seem to disappear in the early 70ssome time, as Lewis gradually shifts from its original, classic designs, into progressively more 'modern' fayre, with birghtly coloured leathers becoming very fashionable by 1978ish. This is why there was, back in the early 90s when Derek brought back all the classic models to Lewis and revamped the line, a dispute overownership of the name. Lewis had let "Highwayman" drop, so when Aero created their version (boxier, more of an American-style jacket than the shirt-collar types produced under the Highwayman brand in the UK in the Sixties - all by Ken's deliberate design) in 1983, they perfectly legally acquired the trade mark (much as they were able to acquire Aero back in the day, a deliberate reference to the long defunct Aero Beaconsfield, USA). Lewis contested this at one point, claiming they owned it because they bought it with Rivett's of Leytonstone, but they were obliged to cease and desist - British TM law requires that a mark, whether registered or unregistered, must be in use in good faith to be owned. (Vanson i the US have a model called a Highwayman - this is not a violation of Aero's TM, as so far as I know Aero's ownership of the Highwayman mark only extends to the UK).
You could probably put the Aero Original 59er Highwayman up alongside these jackets, as it is a deliberately faithful recreation of the original Highwayman-branded model of this type.
Interestingly, while I don't know who came first, both Highwayman and Mascot were producing these shirt-collar / straight-zip types by 1958. Lewis didn't introduce their Corsair / Dominator types until 1962. Mascot have been revivied in recent years, and while their jackets are now made in India or Pakistan rather than East London, they are priced about the same in real terms - and, at just under half the price, pitching at the same market level compared to Lewis as they did back in the 60s and 70s too. I've handled, but not had the opportunity to try on, the new Mascots. Nice jackets - muh lighter than you'd expect: these are not your hefty Horween hides. They are, however, about the same weight as a standard Lewis, Lewis Leathers never having been especially heavy either. This model in the Mascot range is called the Black Rock now, which I believe was also its name back in the day. The biggest change with the new Mascot jackets is that they are all-leather, whereas originally the underside of the collar was faux-leather, to help keep the cost down, as I recall.
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