[1] Founded by motorcycle enthusiast Arthur John Wheaton in 1926 using his initials 'AJW', the company began production in the maintenance workshops of the family printing works in Friernhay Street Exeter, UK.
Enthusiast owners included Brooklands racing champions and record holders Claude Temple and Joe Wright.
[1] When AJW began production in 1927 the range included a standard 'sportster' with single-port cylinder heads and a twin-port version[1] but production was slow due to the hand built assembly and delays in obtaining the bought in components, including the frames and engines.
In the Great Depression of the 1930s the market for luxury motorcycles was very limited and demand for the road going version slumped.
The performance of the AJW Summit meant that despite the cost it remained popular with motorcycle racers, so the company stopped building roadsters to concentrate on developing the racing specification.