LOT 527

Property of a deceased's estate 1956 Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet Scrambler Registration no. 3940 BP Frame no. JS 14292 Engine no. 05 01

Sold for £5,980 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 527

Property of a deceased's estate,1956 Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet Scrambler
Registration no. 3940 BP Frame no. JS 14292 Engine no. 05 01

The Beaulieu Sale: Collectors' Motor Cars & Motorcycles and Automobilia|7 September 2019, 15:00 BST|Beaulieu, National Motor Museum

Property of a deceased's estate
1956 Royal Enfield 500cc Bullet Scrambler
Registration no. 3940 BP
Frame no. JS 14292
Engine no. 05 01

While having no works provenance as such, this Bullet Scrambler clearly has a works background (see REOC correspondence on file). Noteworthy special features include magnesium crankcase castings (reserved for works machines only) and a later (1958) lugged frame. However, this frame has but a single number stamped on it, which appears to be the machine's original 1956 number. Factory despatch records (held by the REOC) list numbers for machines on either side of this number but not the actual number of this machine itself! One likely explanation is that this was a works bike that had a new frame fitted (the all-welded originals were prone to cracking). There are some other works touches evident on the bike, one of the more obvious being the reinforcing added to the rear of the swinging arm. All in all, this machine appears to conform to the specification of a factory-produced production scrambler with the addition of some very enviable works parts. '3940 BP' was first registered by the well-known scrambler Graham Beamish in July 1958.

Bought by the late owner in 1961 and converted to road trim, though the original competition parts were retained, it was then sold on and repurchased in 1969. The owner then proceeded to restore the machine, returning it to original competition specification. Accompanying documentation consists of two old-style continuation logbooks (issued 1960s), an old-style V5 document, and the aforementioned REOC letter.

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