I think it is true to say that many non-standard bikes were developed as a marketing tool as a response to the peculiar situation in England. The Road Time Trials Council was very strict about shamateurism and riders could be- and were- suspended if the name of their frame was legible in a published photograph. The RTTC didn't have to prove that any money had changed hands or even that the rider was given the frame. This explains why so many British frames had longhand script-eg Claud Butler. Of course you could get round this rule with instantly recognisable designs such as Hetchins and Bates and Flying Gate. You will never get a fan of these marques to admit this but who really believe Bates forks give a better ride? I recall that Charly McCoy a British TT champion and Olympic team pursuiter got a years ban in 1961 because you could read "Eddie Soens" in a photo published in Cycling Weekly. It was a bit provocative as Eddie, always a rebel, had put the name in big block capitals right along the down tube. They repealed the rule shortly after. It is amazing that the same year that Tom Simpson won the Tour of Flanders English domestic cycling was still in the dark ages. Ray Green Brighton, Blighty.
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