1938 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin Project

Registration no. CBM 347 Frame no. TH 5620 Engine no. 8-5T 11804

Although Edward Turner's Triumph Speed Twin caused a sensation when it appeared at the 1937 Motorcycle Show, few of its admirers can have guessed how influential the design would prove to be. True, there had been vertical twins before, but the Coventry firm's newcomer established a formula that would be adopted by all of Britain's major motorcycle manufacturers in the succeeding decade. And whereas previous vertical twins had suffered from excess bulk, Turner's was lighter and narrower across the crankcase than the contemporary single-cylinder Tiger 90 (whose cycle parts it shared) and from certain angles looked just like a twin-port single. This was just what the conservatively minded motorcycling public wanted, and the Speed Twin proved an enormous success for Triumph, lifting the company out of the economic doldrums and setting it on the road to future prosperity. Performance proved exemplary for a road-going 500, around 85mph being attainable by the Speed Twin, while the Tiger 100 sports version could reach the 'ton' under favourable conditions. Owned by the vendor for the last 56/57 years, this Speed Twin is presented in 'barn find' condition having been kept in dry storage since it was last used in 1964. Representing a rare opportunity to acquire a pre-war example of one of the most influential motorcycles of all time, 'CBM 347' comes with a dating certificate and V5C document and is sold strictly as viewed.