1929 FN 350cc
M70 Sahara Grand Luxe-
Year of manufacture1929
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Motorcycle typeStreet
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Chassis number62952
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Lot number111
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ConditionUsed
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ColourOther
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Location
Description
The Belgium company Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre, better known under their name Fabrique Nationale (FN) with their head office in Herstal near Lüttich was founded in 1889 and, from 1901, produced arms as well as motorbikes powered by singles and inline fours. In 1923 a completely new construction was introduced with the side-valve 350cc engine and the gearbox in the same housing, a so-called “unitary” layout. These bikes were sold under the moniker M60 and M70 whereby the latter received the additional designation “Sahara” after three Belgium officers managed a 8’800 kilometre Africa crossing with this type. Our example, built in 1929, was imported on the 11th of March 1930 through Basel customs agency. The history of the bike is not known until, in 1999, during a bankruptcy auction sale, where it was taken over by a collector. Then in a rather sorry state, the rare FN was restored over the following years and finally taken over by the vendor in 2008. Currently the Sahara is in very good condition and will be sold with the most recent Veteran MOT from October 2017.