Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection, 1968 Norton 745cc P11A Series 2

Registration no. not registered Frame no. 125907 Engine no. P11 125907

Associated Motor Cycles' final years saw the ailing company launch a bewildering assortment of 'badge-engineered' hybrids. Announced in the autumn of 1963, the first was a street scrambler intended for the North American market. The AJS/Matchless-framed machine used the 745cc Norton Atlas engine, and the experience gained paved the way for the AJS Model 33 and Matchless G15 roadsters introduced for 1965, by which time Norton forks and brakes had been standardised throughout the range. This 'mix-and-match' policy continued under Norton Villiers' ownership, the CSR-framed roadsters being joined by a Norton-badged clone: the N15. While the range as a whole contracted, there was one new model for 1967: the Norton P11; another Atlas-engined hybrid but this time one built using the Rickman-style Reynolds 531 frame of the Matchless G85CS scrambler. With the Commando's arrival later that same year, the days of the P11 were numbered and production ceased at the end of 1968.

Despatched new to North America in April 1968, this example of one of the rarest and most sought-after of post-war Nortons was re-imported in November 1989 by Worldvista Ltd and purchased from them in 2005. The machine was restored by Worldvista's Michael Bell and since acquisition has benefited from further restoration by the NMM, whose commemorative silver plaque is attached. The purchase receipt, dating/specification notes, and C&E Form 386 are on file. The machine's mechanical condition is not known; accordingly, prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves with regard to its condition, completeness, correctness, or otherwise prior to bidding.