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Lot number | 214 |
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Hammer value | £19000 |
Description | Manx Norton 30M 500cc |
Year | 1958 |
Engine size | 498 cc |
Engine No. | 11M78794 |
History
The 'Manx' moniker was first applied to Norton's highly successful
350cc and 500cc works racing machines in 1938. A decade later and their
ruthless dominance, not only at the Isle of Man circuit but throughout
Europe, was under threat. However, in 1950, just as it seemed that the
Gilera and MV multi-cylinder 'fire engines' would get the upper hand,
Norton launched the famous 'featherbed' frame. Engineered by Rex
McCandless and fabricated from Reynolds 531 tubing, it was to prove
stronger, lighter and more comfortable than the 'garden gate' design it
replaced.
The 1953 introduction of Joe Craig's short stroke 498.7cc thumper
boosted performance still further allowing riders Ray Amm and Jack
Brett to finish first and second in that year's TT. En route to
victory, Amm set a new Manx lap record of 23 minutes, 15 seconds at an
average speed of 97.41 mph (beating Geoff Duke's 1952 record by over
3mph!).
During an extensive lifespan the 500cc Manx was deemed more competitive
than its 350cc sibling, which was often overshadowed by AMC's slightly
more efficient '7R' ? reflected by the fact Norton produced about twice
as many 500s as 350s. Manx production ceased in 1961 but some machines
were built from spares in 1962 and a few the following year after the
works had moved from their hallowed Bracebridge Street to the AMC works
in Plumstead following an amalgamation. The total quantity made is
believed to number around 2000 ? a figure much increased today thanks
to various engineering firms providing a comprehensive range of parts
for the hugely popular replica market that has arisen.
According to the Norton factory records, the bike you see here is a
1958 Model 30M 498cc Manx Norton. The engine and frame numbers were
11M78794 and the gearbox, an AMC type, was number 1049. It was tested
by Mr Meades before being despatched to one of Birmingham's biggest car
and bike distributors, Colmore Depot, on 2nd May 1958 ? just in time
for the TT races which take place in the last week of May and the first
week of June.
The original engine and gearbox are still on the bike but there is no
frame number in the usual place on the reinforcing gusset above the
left-hand footpeg. There is, however, what appears to be a Norton
factory mark on the triangular web plate on top of the headstock which
reads 8 57. It seems probable that the original frame was damaged early
in the bike's career and it was fitted with a replacement works frame
from a batch made in August 1957. The frame appears to be a genuine Norton featherbed item
made from the correct gauge Reynolds 531 chrome molybdenum tubing.
The supply of Manx Nortons was strictly limited and, for obvious reasons, the
Norton factory tried to ensure that they were only sold to talented riders. It was
not unusual for the name of the rider that the bike was destined for to
be recorded on the factory despatch sheet.
Our bike has the name of Peter Brookes attached to it but we have been
unable to identify a rider of that name at this time. It therefore
seems probable that Brookes was either a sponsor of a competitive rider
or merely the Colmore Depot employee to whom the bike was booked.
Either way, it is clear that more research is needed to identify who
actually rode the bike in its early years.
What we have established is that the bike was acquired by Peter M
Sheppard in 1964 from well-known Manx tuner Syd Mularney of Leighton
Buzzard. Prior to that the bike had been owned by John Jacques, a
wealthy amateur who campaigned the bike at many circuits including
rides to 18th place in the Senior Manx Grand Prix of 1962 and to 10th
place in the same race of 1963.
Sheppard, in his turn, also rode the bike in the Senior Manx Grand
Prix, finishing 37th in 1965. In 1968 he rode it in the Senior TT
itself but did not finish the race due to problems with the magneto.
Like Jacques, he too rode the bike at many other circuits, both here
and abroad, and spent most summers hacking around the continental
GP circuits in his Ford Thames van. At
one stage he led the rain-lashed Brno Grand Prix in Czechoslovakia,
only to come a cropper on some wet cobbles.
An engineer by trade, Sheppard was a competent mechanic but he
also enlisted the help of his friend and fellow racer, Brian Fletcher,
to work on the bike with him. Fletcher confirms that the bike was
always exceptionally quick and featured a twin plug head and twin spark
magneto (still fitted today). He also recalls stripping the engine one
time to find that the underside of the piston was drilled and lightened
and that the con rod was a solid one piece design with no eye in it and
no sleeve - performance modifications which he believes were the work
of another renowned Manx tuner, Bill Lacey.
Sheppard's second wife, Jeanette, also recalls that he was a friend and
one-time team-mate of Mike Hailwood who also rode the bike on at least
one occasion. Sheppard retired from racing in 1969 and from then until
his death in 2003 the bike had only occasional outings at vintage
events, either in his hands or those of a younger friend, Ian
Bryant.
Still in full running order but now in need of some sympathetic
recommissioning, 11M78794 remains a highly original bike that has a
long and continuous racing history. It is offered for sale complete
with a period fibreglass fairing, a spare piston and some spare valves,
plus a spare piston and valves for a 350cc Manx Norton. Still with many
years of life ahead of it, either on the track as part of the booming
classic race scene or merely as a static exhibit, it is sure to make a
fantastic addition to any collection.