1959 AJS 7R

Lot details
Registration No: N/A
Frame No: 1687
Engine No: 1687
cc: 350
MOT Expiry Date: N/A

The driving force behind the 7R was Jock West, then the AMC sales director who championed the concept of an over the counter 350cc racing machine at boardroom level and would later support the development of the Matchless G50 derived from the 7R. Once the project was given the go ahead the design of the engine fell to the company's chief designer Philip West. First seen by the public at Brands Hatch on the 14th March 1948, ridden by Jock West, the new model employed a single cylinder, single over head cam engine that made extensive use of magnesium castings in it's construction, assisting in keeping the 7R's weight to a minimum and, thanks to the gold paint employed to protect the castings, making it instantly recognisable. The frame was similar in design to that employed by the 500cc "Porcupine" and was equipped with AMC's own "Teledraulic" forks and pivoted fork rear suspension controlled by a pair of "Candlestick" suspension units. Like its major rival from Bracebridge Street, the 7R benefited from the experience gained with each passing season with refinements being incorporated into the following year's model. The models 29bhp rose steadily over its production life with the final models producing in the region of 39bhp. The rear suspension units changed to "Jampots" for the 1951 season, these giving way to Girling units in 1957, a twin leading shoe front brake was adopted for 1953 and the rim sizes went from a 21/20 inch combination to a pair of 19 inch items. For the 1956 season the engine dimensions changed to 75.5 x 78mm bore and stroke that it would retain until AMC ceased production of the machine in 1962. Of equal importance in aiding the 7R to maintain its position at the front of the field was the attention paid to reducing the frontal area and consequently improving the machines overall performance. A side effect of the slimming down of the fuel and oil tanks and the reduction in the overall height of 7R was that it ended up as being one of the most attractive motorcycles ever produced.

This example, dating from 1959, was originally owned and raced by the well known racer Fred Neville whose brief but promising career, which lasted from 1958 to 1961. Fred had started racing in 1958 as a result of an accident whilst on a touring holiday in France. Reasoning that it would be safer to ride on the track than the road he purchased a second hand 499cc BSA Gold Star, winning only his second race, a non expert class race at Brands Hatch. Although he only made seven starts he showed enough promise to warrant the purchase of a new AJS 7R taking delivery in July 1959. The new machine quickly justified its purchase securing a wins in the heat and final of its first meeting at Brands Hatch. The 7R was quickly joined by a G50 which took Fred to a fourth place finish at Silverstone followed by a Third place Crystal Palace. The Silverstone meeting had also seen Fred taking a fine sixth place finish in the 350 race on the 7R. By the end of the season Fred was racing in the experts field at Brands, regularly securing top six finishes. This prompted a change to a Norton Manx 350 for the following season, with the 7R being sold, passing to Lewis Young. 1960 saw wins at Castle Coombe, a seventh place finish in the NW200 Junior race, second and fifth places at Oulton Park and a win at a very wet Brands meeting in the 350 race followed by a second in the 1000cc race. For 1961 Fred returned to a 7R for the 350cc class on which he set a lap record of 85.22 mph in the 1961 350 TT. He was killed later in the year whilst leading the 350 Manx GP on a 7R, curtailing a career that had seen him rise to the top of the privateer ranks in only three years.

Lewis Young subsequently sold this 7R to Arthur Pine with the machine then passing to Len Haggis before its acquisition by the present owner. It is attractively presented in the traditional black and gold livery synonymous with the model and is equipped with a contemporary "silencer" and a set of "bacon slicers" on the front brake and is offered with a number of newspaper cuttings relating to Fred Neville and a letter from Lewis Young concerning the motorcycle.