1962 Norton 500cc Manx Racing Motorcycle
Frame no. 11M 102745
Engine no. 11M 102745

Dubbed 'Manx Grand Prix' in 1939, what would become the best-known racing motorcycle of all time had become simply 'Manx' when production resumed in 1946. Norton's over-the-counter Manx racers were much as their pre-war counterparts, with single-overhead-camshaft engine, 'square' cylinder head finning, upright gearbox and plunger-suspended 'garden gate' frames. Only the presence of the Roadholder telescopic front fork readily distinguished them from the '39 machines. 1949 brought the first significant change in engine specification, the Manx gaining a double-overhead-camshaft 'head like that enjoyed by the works bikes for many years, but the major development was the arrival of the Featherbed frame for 1951. The works' adoption of the McCandless-designed duplex-loop swinging-arm chassis the previous year had given the Nortons a welcome lease of life in Grand Prix racing, and Geoff Duke duly took both the 350 and 500cc world titles in 1951. The cycle parts remained essentially unchanged from then on, apart from the adoption of a double-sided, twin-leading-shoe front brake for 1962. Manx engine development though, continued steadily, latterly under Doug Hele's direction, until production ceased at the end of '62, among the most significant design changes being the adoption of 'square' bore and stroke dimensions for 1954 and coarser-pitch bevel teeth in 1957.

The vicissitudes of racing being what they are – crashes, blow-ups, rebuilds, component swaps, etc – it is not at all surprising that so many old racing motorcycles no longer have their original engines, which makes this 'matching-numbers' Manx something of a rarity. One of the very last to leave the Bracebridge Street factory, the Manx was purchased by the vendor's father from Jack Dallow in December 1994 and has not been subjected to any restoration work since acquisition. The machine took part in the Isle of Man TT Week 'Lap of Honour' in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and last ran in 2004. In 2000 it was imported into South Africa, returning to the UK in April 2012. Offered with dating certificate and C&E Form 386, '102745' represents a rare opportunity to acquire a matching-numbers Manx preserved in outstandingly original condition.