1949 Manx Norton
Original Manx Daytona engine

Norton named their 1947 racing model the Manx after earlier successes on the Isle of Man. It was a lightly redesigned version of the pre-war racing International, an overhead-cam single-cylinder machine available as a 350cc or 500cc. The works racers were experimental models, and a version was available for sale from the factory, but only to special customers. Fitted with the McCandless brothers' Featherbed frame for 1950, the Manx gained a new lease of life on the great road-racing circuits, the new frame allowing the fine steering necessary for high-speed navigation of the fastest courses of the time.

Manx Nortons account for one of the most replicated bikes in history, but this 1949 example utilises an original Norton international racing frame and a Daytona Manx engine, of the type fitted to the Nortons which raced in the Daytona 200 in the late ’40s and early ’50s – engine number nine of nine, no less. This machine was built into its current guise in the 1960s in California with a replacement frame, possibly owing to the original incurring damage during racing. It has not been run for some time, therefore recommissioning and the usual checks are to be recommended. A dating certificate from the Norton Owners’ Club confirms the authenticity of the components of this beautifully-presented machine.