LOT 775

1973 Bultaco 326cc Sherpa T M92 Trials Motorcycle Registration no. JKH 681 L Frame no. B92-00976 Engine no. M92-00976

Sold for £5,175 inc. premium

Lot 775

1973 Bultaco 326cc Sherpa T M92 Trials Motorcycle
Registration no. JKH 681 L Frame no. B92-00976 Engine no. M92-00976

The Summer Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show (Three-Day Auction)|4 July 2021, 10:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

1973 Bultaco 326cc Sherpa T M92 Trials Motorcycle
Registration no. JKH 681 L
Frame no. B92-00976
Engine no. M92-00976

• Complete rebuild using genuine Bultaco parts
• 'Best Off Road Machine" Cardiff Show 2019
• 'Best Trials Machine' Stafford Show October 2019
• Not ridden in competition since restoration
• Speedo reading 339 reflects use since rebuild

Francisco Xavier Bulto quit employment at the Spanish Montesa factory in 1958, upon hearing that they were withdrawing from road racing. He founded the Bultaco company in Barcelona and rapidly brought his 125cc two-stroke singles to market, entering two Sherpa N models in the 1962 international Six Days Trial, where they won Gold medals for no marks lost. Nephew Oriol Bulto entered the same model in the 1963 Scottish Six Days event and retired with electrical problems, but not before British top rider Sammy Miller had shown interest and taken the offered ride. It was a seed wisely sewn.

In 1964 Miller learned that the parent BSA company would not be supporting him on his much-modified 500cc Ariel HT in competition, a poor reward for the effort and skill devoted to keeping the marque name in the news. Sammy then travelled to Spain to meet Francisco Bulto and to consider developing a lightweight machine from the company's Sherpa N. After twelve days of graft, the result was the 250cc Sherpa T, weighing less than 100kg (220lbs) and would require less effort to tackle whatever section of the British landscape it faced. The disappearance of heavy four-stroke singles from the winning circles in trials proved the point, Miller winning the Scottish Six Days Trial on the new machine in 1964, followed by multiple British and European championship titles. It was natural that other Spanish makers followed suit as they saw the market succcess of Bultaco and the traditional British big single fell out of favour. The 1965 success is significant in that it triggered the formation of the Pre 65 class of trials that enjoys so much support today.

This outstanding example of the early 326cc Bultaco development, introduced in 1972, came to the vendor as a rolling frame and engine unit with matching numbers. Over the course of 18 months of internet searching and long hours in the workshop, new parts were sourced from British and Spanish specialists to produce this award winning example of a landmark off-road competition machine. Winning the Best Trials Machine at the 2019 Stafford Classic MotorCycle Show was a tribute to the skill and time given to the restoration, while the greatest compliment came from Sammy Miller himself, who examined the machine at the show and declared it "One of the best I've seen."

Saleroom notices

There is now a V5C with the machine. The frame number is M-9200976. The engine number is M-9200976.

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