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LOT 16

c.1957 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin Registration no. APA 347A Frame no. 06467 Engine no. 5T 08372

Sold for £4,370 inc. premium
Lot 16

c.1957 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin
Registration no. APA 347A Frame no. 06467 Engine no. 5T 08372

c.1957 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin
Registration no. APA 347A
Frame no. 06467
Engine no. 5T 08372

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; indeed, Turner's predecessor at Triumph - Val Page - had designed one a few years previously, but Triumph'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, and from certain angles looked just like a twin-port single. Performance proved exemplary for a road-going 500, better than 100mph being attainable under favourable conditions. The late 'pre-unit' example offered here dates from circa 1957, by which time the Speed Twin had been upgraded with a stronger 8-stud cylinder barrel (replacing the original 6-stud); Triumph's own telescopic front fork; and a swinging-arm frame among many other improvements. Formerly registered '713 BWL' (since transferred), the Triumph was purchased in August 1986. The associated receipt is on file and the machine also comes with an old-style continuation logbook (issued 1971); an old-style V5; an HPI check; and an old-style V5C document.

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