9th Jul, 2025 12:00
National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
1949 Norton ES2 Special
Sold for £5,290
(including buyers premium)
Registration No: MSJ 754
Frame No: D1024944R
MOT: Exempt
- A very subtle special with a 500T top end
- Built by a former motorcycle racer of the 1970s and '80s
- Freshly completed in the spring of 2025
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 lively ES2 was popular due to its reliability and ease of maintenance, as well as its familiar and traditional design. From 1947, it had innovative hydraulically-damped Roadholder front forks. Originally, it used a single downtube swinging-arm frame, before later adopting the legendary Featherbed.
This 1949 ES2 special was created over the winter of 2024-25 by an enthusiast who used to race motorcycles in the 1970s and ’80s. The subtlety and workmanship is such that it looks like it could have been done at the factory, but the ES2 bottom end is paired with a Norton 500T top end! The builder completed it in the spring and has remarked that how nicely it handled, but due to other commitments he has decided to let it find a new home as he lacks the time to enjoy it. This extremely handsome and refreshingly discreet special is to be sold with the current V5C. Not used since March.
For more information, please contact:
Mike Davis
mike.davis@handh.co.uk
07718 584217
Auction: National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands, 9th Jul, 2025
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An auction of classic motorcycles & vintage scooters taking place at the National Motorcycle Museum, Solihull, West Midlands.
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