1955 Manx Norton 350
Original factory engine and gearbox numbers

Registration No: Unregistered
Frame No: K10M 795
Engine No: 64793
CC: 350
MOT: Exempt

• Beautifully restored and very well documented 1955 350 Manx
• Matching engine and gearbox numbers to Science Museum records
• Supplied with numerous receipts and history of the bike and restoration

Norton was founded by James Lansdowne Norton in Birmingham in 1898 and began building motorcycles with French and Swiss engines in 1902. In 1907 a Norton with a Peugeot engine won the first Isle of Man TT race starting a long tradition of sporting excellence. The OHC 350 and 500 singles, initially based on the roadgoing Inter model and later becoming the classic Manx, became the mainstay of road racing for over three decades. The Norton factory race bikes under team manager Joe Craig were experimental models and a version was available for sale from the factory in Bracebridge Street to selected customers. Fitted with the McCandless brothers' Featherbed frame for 1950, the bike was renowned for its fine steering, necessary for the bumpy and very fast racing circuits of the time. Every top road racer from Geoff Duke to Mike Hailwood enjoyed success on a Manx at some point in their career.

This 1955 350 model has been authentically restored to a high degree of originality by Peter Sprot in the early 2000s and has been part of a small private collection for the last few years. After stumbling on the bike by pure chance, Peter realised that it had survived with most of its original components in place and started an in depth rebuild, with the intention of keeping the bike as standard as possible. The Norton factory records, now held by the Science Museum, show it as having left the factory on the 9th August 1955 after being tested by Peter Meads on card number 39648, fitted with engine number 64793 and gearbox number 9674 to dealer Ewing Crombies and it still has these items in place. The official records don't list a frame number but it is thought that the original one is still in place, the number looks to be K10M 795 under a good layer of paint. The bike has been featured in a few magazine articles and comes supplied with an extensive history file including numerous receipts, correspondence, photographs of the restoration process and even a framed print. Displayed in the vendor's house for the last seven years, it will need recommissioning before use. An excellent opportunity to acquire a very original and important part of British motorcycling history.

For more information, please contact:
Ian Cunningham
ian.cunningham@handh.co.uk
07415 871189