c.1937 Norton International
No Reserve

Registration No: Un-Registered
Frame No: Not Seen
MOT: Exempt

• Offered from a well-curated private collection
• Engine and frame acquired in the early 2000s and gradually built up
• An excellent restoration opportunity for winter

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, beginning a long tradition of sporting excellence. The name International was first used by Norton for both its newly-designed race bikes and the TT replica roadster in 1932. Overseen by Joe Craig, Arthur Carroll had designed an overhead-camshaft engine for the works racers and although it retained the same bore and stroke of the CS1, the International was all new. In 1936, the engine was upgraded with an alloy head and barrel and by 1938 plunger rear suspension was added to complement the girder front forks. If you wanted to succeed in racing, you needed an Inter and although technically a road bike, most were supplied in 'Manx' specification for track use. Pre-war racing Internationals were generally known as Manxes, but it was not until 1946 that the title was used officially by Norton on the 30M and 40M models. In the 1930s, an Inter to this specification would have cost around £120, a year's salary, so quite a commitment for riders at the time.

This late 1930s Norton Inter project, from a deceased’s estate, is offered as a work in progress. It is thought the late owner started in the early 2000s with the frame and engine, and gradually sourced the other components to bring it closer to completion, though it is still in need of a number of parts. It is already taking on a most attractive shape, even in its unfinished form, so it is not hard to imagine how fine it shall appear when life is finally breathed into it again. It is sold as seen, with no other parts or documentation.

For more information, please contact:
Mike Davis
mike.davis@handh.co.uk
07718 584217