Offered from the Collection of the Late Peter McManus, 1931 New Imperial 245cc Model 9

Registration no. WJ 868 Frame no. 14385 10B Engine no. 110 21965

Builder of the last British-made machine to win the Lightweight 250 TT in the pre-war era (in 1936), New Imperial was unsurpassed for innovation during the 1930s, with models featuring pivoted fork rear suspension and unitary construction of the engine and gearbox. The marque was established in 1900 when Norman Downs acquired a cycle company in Birmingham, which he reorganised as New Imperial Cycles. The firm's first motorcycles, designed along Werner lines, were shown at the 1901 Stanley Show in London but were not well received. Not until 1910 did Downs try again, launching a conventional JAP-powered model - the Light Tourist - that would prove an outstanding success. In racing, New Imperial concentrated on the 250 class, winning the Isle of Man TT trophy for 250cc machines in 1921 and their first Lightweight TT in 1924, a feat repeated the following year. On the commercial front, the late 1920s saw production facilities expand and proprietary engines abandoned in favour of New Imperial's own power units. Among their more conventional machines of the early 1930s was the 245cc overhead-valve Model 9, as seen here. An older restoration, this New Imp is presented in 'barn find' condition, ripe for sympathetic renovation. We are advised by the vendor that although Ivan Rhodes changed the big-end bearing rollers, the engine requires further work to fully rebuild it. 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. Accompanying paperwork consists of an HPI printout and a V5C document.