Following Triumph's lead, BSA turned to unitary construction for its range of parallel twin as the 1960s dawned, launching the all-new 500cc A50 and 650cc A65 Star tourers in January 1962. The basic architecture of the preceding A7/A10 was retained, so the new engine remained an air-cooled parallel twin with 360-degree crankshaft and single camshaft mounted at the rear of the cylinder block. The cycle parts were much as before, comprising a duplex loop, swinging-arm frame fitted with a telescopic front fork. The first high-performance variant - the A65R Rocket - arrived in October 1963, only to be superseded the following year by the Lightning, the first of the unitary construction twins (along with its A50 equivalent, the Cyclone) to be equipped with the new splayed-port cylinder head fitted with twin-carburettors. Cycle parts remained unaltered except for the adoption of a 19" front wheel. For 1965, BSA's original A65 Star single-carburettor touring twin was replaced by the A65 Thunderbolt, joining the twin-carburettor Lightning, and both models continued after the range was given a major makeover for the 1971 season. One of the desirable, late, pre-oil-in-frame models, this Lightning had already been restored when it was purchased in November 2000 and has covered only 4,172km (2,592 miles) since the rebuild. Accompanying documentation consists of the original Italian registration document and associated paperwork.