Property of the late Alan Windsor, 1966 Velocette 499cc Venom Thruxton

Registration no. YBF 39D Frame no. RS18904 Engine no. VMT 377

• Matching numbers
• An older restoration
• Present ownership since 1984
• Only two owners in the last 50 years

"Prestige machine of the pushrod range was the Venom Thruxton 500. It incorporated all the accumulated experience gained in the years the Venom Clubman has been raced in long-distance events, plus the development of the 12 and 24-hour record breaker." – C E A 'Titch' Allen, The Velocette Saga.

Production race successes, notably in the Thruxton 500 Mile event prompted Veloce Ltd to adopt that name for their newly introduced top-of-the-range sports roadster in 1964. Based on the existing Venom, the Thruxton featured a tuned engine with revised big-valve cylinder head, Amal GP carburettor, clip-on handlebars, rear-set footrests and a twin-leading-shoe front brake as standard equipment. Although the Thruxton took its name from the eponymous Hampshire racing circuit, arguably its finest hour came in 1967 when Manxman Neil Kelly won the '500' class in the Isle of Man TT's Production race, newly introduced for that year.

Although much admired by the café racing fraternity, the Thruxton's necessarily high price limited its appeal to a select handful of wealthy connoisseurs. It is estimated that as few as 1,100 were made by the factory (with a further 55-60 assembled from parts by main dealers) and today the Thruxton is one of the most sought after of post-war Velocettes.

Alan Windsor purchased this example in November 1984 from Mr John Alfred Lee of Suffolk, its owner since 1972. A letter on file from the Velocette Thruxton Machine Register states that 'YBF 39D' was dispatched from the factory on 24th June 1966 to the Boult dealership in Stafford and sold new a couple of months later to a Mr Wynne. Alan had the engine and clutch professionally rebuilt in June 1988, though it is not known by whom (see details on file). Further maintenance works were carried out in December 2014 by a Velocette specialist. The machine is offered with sundry bills; some old MoTs (most recent expired September 2006); SORN paperwork; a parts list; an old-style V5 document; old/current current V5Cs; and an owner's handbook. Re-commissioning to a greater or lesser extent will be required before returning it to the road.
Offered without key