LOT 715
Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection 1938 Excelsior 250cc Four-valve Radial Manxman Racing Motorcycle Registration no. not registered Frame no. MHR 839
Sold for £43,700 inc. premium
Lot 715
Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection, 1938 Excelsior 250cc Four-valve Radial Manxman Racing MotorcycleRegistration no. not registered Frame no. MHR 839
Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection
1938 Excelsior 250cc Four-valve Radial Manxman Racing Motorcycle
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. MHR 839
1938 Excelsior 250cc Four-valve Radial Manxman Racing Motorcycle
Registration no. not registered
Frame no. MHR 839
• Rare four-valve engine top-end
• Engine built by Norman Webb in the 1950s using genuine Excelsior factory parts
• Standard Manxman HR11 cycle parts
Excelsior's Managing Director Mr Eric Walker came to an arrangement with the Rudge Whitworth factory to use that company's patents under license, thus enabling him to build an overhead-camshaft radial four-valve engine. Indeed, every engine had an attached plate identifying the use of the Rudge patents in its valve gear design. The agreement also stated that the engine was to be used solely for racing, thus preventing Excelsior from encroaching on Rudge's core motorcycle market.
The Excelsior Manxman radial four-valve 250cc machines showed great potential when first raced at the 1936 Isle of Man TT where, after a bare minimum of practice, Tyrell Smith finished in 2nd place behind Bob Foster on a unitary construction New Imperial. One of Excelsior's greatest results was Tyrell Smith's win at the Grand Prix of Europe, a one-off result which, in motorcycling terms, potentially was as great as winning the world championship.
The complex totally enclosed four-valve rocker gear meant that cam boxes were reputed to take a day to assemble under ideal workshop conditions. Broken coil valve springs were the Achilles heal of the design and many retirements resulted from valve spring problems, so it was with some reluctance that Mr Walker decided to revert to more reliable two-valve engines at the end of the 1937 season.
Thus, from early 1938 the 250cc and 350cc four-valve engines and their cycle parts ceased to exist publicly and were all but forgotten. The four-valve engine parts languished in the old race shop at Tyesley until the mid-1950s when Norman Webb persuaded someone at the factory that it would be a 'good idea' to sell him the obsolete parts to facilitate the recreation of some running four-valve machines.
Built by Norman Webb, the machine offered for sale is therefore an absolutely faithful recreation of a four-valve Manxman to 1937 specification using original Excelsior four-valve engine parts that were raced in period, but now fitted onto a 1938-style aluminium crankcase (originally, they were magnesium). This engine is believed to be a 250cc unit. The frame of this particular motorcycle was despatched from the factory as part of a complete HR11 Manxman racing machine sometime after its 29th August 1938 build date.
From the purist collector's standpoint, however sad it may seem, a perfectly good racing Manxman was broken up and modified by Norman Webb to create this wonderful four-valve racer.
• Engine built by Norman Webb in the 1950s using genuine Excelsior factory parts
• Standard Manxman HR11 cycle parts
Excelsior's Managing Director Mr Eric Walker came to an arrangement with the Rudge Whitworth factory to use that company's patents under license, thus enabling him to build an overhead-camshaft radial four-valve engine. Indeed, every engine had an attached plate identifying the use of the Rudge patents in its valve gear design. The agreement also stated that the engine was to be used solely for racing, thus preventing Excelsior from encroaching on Rudge's core motorcycle market.
The Excelsior Manxman radial four-valve 250cc machines showed great potential when first raced at the 1936 Isle of Man TT where, after a bare minimum of practice, Tyrell Smith finished in 2nd place behind Bob Foster on a unitary construction New Imperial. One of Excelsior's greatest results was Tyrell Smith's win at the Grand Prix of Europe, a one-off result which, in motorcycling terms, potentially was as great as winning the world championship.
The complex totally enclosed four-valve rocker gear meant that cam boxes were reputed to take a day to assemble under ideal workshop conditions. Broken coil valve springs were the Achilles heal of the design and many retirements resulted from valve spring problems, so it was with some reluctance that Mr Walker decided to revert to more reliable two-valve engines at the end of the 1937 season.
Thus, from early 1938 the 250cc and 350cc four-valve engines and their cycle parts ceased to exist publicly and were all but forgotten. The four-valve engine parts languished in the old race shop at Tyesley until the mid-1950s when Norman Webb persuaded someone at the factory that it would be a 'good idea' to sell him the obsolete parts to facilitate the recreation of some running four-valve machines.
Built by Norman Webb, the machine offered for sale is therefore an absolutely faithful recreation of a four-valve Manxman to 1937 specification using original Excelsior four-valve engine parts that were raced in period, but now fitted onto a 1938-style aluminium crankcase (originally, they were magnesium). This engine is believed to be a 250cc unit. The frame of this particular motorcycle was despatched from the factory as part of a complete HR11 Manxman racing machine sometime after its 29th August 1938 build date.
From the purist collector's standpoint, however sad it may seem, a perfectly good racing Manxman was broken up and modified by Norman Webb to create this wonderful four-valve racer.
Saleroom notices
The frame number is MRH839. Please click the link to view the walkaround video of Lot 715: click here
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