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LOT 245

1985 Norton 588cc Rotary Racing Motorcycle Project Registration no. not registered Frame no. 3187 Engine no. 3187

Sold for £1,610 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 245

1985 Norton 588cc Rotary Racing Motorcycle Project
Registration no. not registered Frame no. 3187 Engine no. 3187

1985 Norton 588cc Rotary Racing Motorcycle Project
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. 3187
Engine no. 3187

Sadly, for Norton, the Wankel Rotary engine's inherent deficiencies - excess heat and high exhaust emissions - meant that it had no long-term future as a motorcycle power unit for road use. On the racetrack, though, it was a very different story. Developed initially by factory engineer Brian Crighton, the Norton Rotaries swept all before them in British national events in the late 1980s and early 1990s, first with John Player sponsorship and later with Duckhams. Riding the JPS bike, Steve Spray won the TT Formula 1 Championship and Super Cup Series in 1989. Robert Dunlop won the North West 200 on his debut for the JPS team in 1990, while Steve Hislop's 1992 Senior TT-winning ride aboard the Abus-sponsored Norton rotary, in which he duelled with Yamaha-mounted Carl Fogarty, is widely held to be one of the finest races in TT history. Managed by Colin Seeley, the Duckhams Norton team guided Ian Simpson to the 1994 British Superbike Championship to score the Rotary's last major success.

Believed based on a Classic roadster, this incomplete and unfinished Rotary racer project is sold strictly as viewed. There are no documents with this Lot.

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.

Saleroom notices

We are advised the absence of 'LE' frame and engine number prefixes suggest this machine is not based on a Classic Roadster.

Additional information

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  • 19 October 2019, 09:00 - 17:00 BST
  • 20 October 2019, 09:00 - 17:00 BST

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