• Matching frame and engine numbers
• Bought at a UK auction
• Seemingly restored to a good standard

Dubbed 'Manx Grand Prix' in 1939, what would become the best-known racing motorcycle of all time had become simply 'Manx' when production resumed in 1946. Built in 350cc and 500c versions, the two Manxes were designated Model 40 and Model 30 respectively. Norton's over-the-counter Manx racers were much the same as their pre-war counterparts, with single-overhead-camshaft engine, 'square' cylinder head finning, upright gearbox and plunger-suspended 'garden gate' frames. Only the presence of the hydraulically damped Roadholder telescopic front fork readily distinguished them from the '39 machines. 1949 brought the first significant change in engine specification, the Manx gaining a double-overhead-camshaft cylinder head like that enjoyed by the works bikes for many years, but the major development was the arrival of the Featherbed frame for 1951. The works' adoption of the McCandless-designed duplex-loop swinging-arm chassis the previous year had given the Nortons a new lease of life in Grand Prix racing, and Geoff Duke duly took both the 350cc and 500cc world titles in 1951. The cycle parts remained essentially unchanged from then on apart from the adoption of a double-sided, twin-leading-shoe front brake for 1962. Manx engine development though, continued steadily, latterly under Doug Hele's direction until production ceased at the end of '62, among the most significant design changes being the adoption of 'square' bore and stroke dimensions for 1954, facilitating the use of larger valves, and a switch to coarser-pitch bevel teeth in 1957.

The vicissitudes of racing being what they are – crashes, blow-ups, rebuilds, engine swaps, etc – it is not surprising that so many old racing motorcycles no longer have their original engines, a state of affairs that makes this 'matching-numbers' Manx somewhat of a rarity.

Seemingly restored to a good standard, this Model 40 Manx was in its present condition when purchased at a UK auction. The factory records state that the machine was dispatched on 9/4/54 to H&M (possibly Hazell and Moore of New South Wales, Australia). Otherwise nothing is known of the machine's racing history (if any) and there are no documents present.