LOT 242

The ex-Charlie Sanby 1971 Gus Kuhn Seeley-Commando Formula 750 Racing Motorcycle Frame no. MK3CS 49N Engine no. 207781

Sold for £10,925 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

Lot 242

The ex-Charlie Sanby, 1971 Gus Kuhn Seeley-Commando Formula 750 Racing Motorcycle
Frame no. MK3CS 49N Engine no. 207781

The Autumn Stafford Sale: The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show|19 October 2019, 14:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

The ex-Charlie Sanby
1971 Gus Kuhn Seeley-Commando Formula 750 Racing Motorcycle
Frame no. MK3CS 49N
Engine no. 207781

• 'As last raced' condition
• Highly original
• Needs re-commissioning

Many-times British sidecar champion Colin Seeley bought Associated Motor Cycles' racing department when the company went into receivership in 1966. The previous year he had constructed the first Seeley racing frame to house a Matchless G50 engine, and the AMC purchase enabled him to produce complete Seeley G50 and AJS 7R-engined machines. Seeley's lightweight, rigid chassis proved an effective means of prolonging the competitiveness of British four-stroke singles in the late 1960s, Dave Croxford winning the British 500 Championship on a Seeley G50 in 1968 and '69.

The Mk3 version (introduced in 1969) dispensed with the conventional lower duplex loop, a move that allowed privateers to fit the Norton Commando engine, for use in Formula 750 and open-class racing, as well as the more-usual Matchless G50 or AJS 7R. Several Commando-engined Mk3s were fitted with additional down-tubes to support the weightier twin-cylinder engine.

Managed by Vincent Davey, South London-based Norton agent Gus Kuhn Motors was one of the most prominent teams in Formula 750 racing in the late 1960s and early '70s, supplying, among others, Mick Andrew, Charlie Sanby, and Dave Potter with machines. For Formula 750 racing the Kuhn team favoured the Seeley chassis, and the firm was soon offering kits to build Gus Kuhn-specification Seeley Commandos ranging from a basic frame and forks up to a complete racing motorcycle. Overseen by Davey, the Kuhn team's own bikes were tuned in-house by Jim Boughton and in Charlie Sanby's hands proved good enough to beat Peter Williams' works Norton on several occasions in 1971.

This original Gus Kuhn Seeley-Commando was campaigned for the South London team by the late Charlie Sanby. Sanby, the 'Lord of Lydden', was one of the UK's foremost road-racing stars of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although he never won a TT, Sanby came very close in the 1971 Production race when, leading the works Triumphs with ease on his Kuhn Commando, he was sidelined when a 10p battery terminal broke.

In addition to its number, '207781', the engine of this machine is also stamped 'GUS KUHN'. Specification highlights include a Quaife five-speed gearbox, Amal Mk2 Concentric carburettors, Akront alloy wheel rims, Lockheed front disc brake, Smiths rev counter, 2-into-1 exhaust system, and what appears to be a Manx Norton magnesium rear hub. A rare opportunity to acquire a genuine Formula 750 racer in outstandingly original condition.

Footnotes

As with all Lots in the Sale, this Lot is sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding.

Additional information

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