Norton had intended to release a revised, dedicated racing motorcycle based on the International model for the 1940 season, however, the outbreak of war in September 1939 precluded it. For the next five years Bracebridge Street was preoccupied with supplying machines to the armed forces. The new racer, which eventually entered production in 1946, featured a single overhead cam engine displacing 499cc achieved with a bore and stroke of 79.62 x 100mm. The engine featured all alloy construction and hairpin valves and was housed, together with the four speed gearbox in a rolling chassis that owed much of its design to the pre war factory bikes.
The rear end of the frame utilised a plunger suspension system, whilst the front featured telescopic forks. Conical steel hubs were laced to alloy rims. Named the Manx 30M and offered alongside a 350cc model typed the 40M, the new model quickly established itself as a force to be contended with in competition and remained largely unchanged until 1949 when the engine underwent a significant change with the adoption of double overhead cam top end. 1949 also saw the introduction of alloy conical hubs and tanks. The two models continued in this form until they were replaced by "featherbed" framed versions in 1951, the prototypes of which having competed during 1950 in the hands of the works riders.
This lovely example of a "garden gate" Manx was supplied new to Phil Heath on the 29th March 1949, the engine, with the shop number NM869 was supplied in 1950 to the legendary Manx tuner Francis Beart. In more recent years it has formed part of a private collection.
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