Walmsley Matchless 496cc G50 Racing Motorcycle

Frame no. none Engine no. none

• Present ownership since circa 2014
• Raced in Lansdowne Cup and CRMC events
• Last ridden in 2019

The disappointing performance of the Matchless G45 twin-cylinder racer prompted Associated Motor Cycles to develop an over-bored version of the firm's successful AJS 7R 350 single as a contender for the '500' class. Using cycle parts virtually identical to the 7R, the prototype Matchless G50 first ran in 1958, with production versions becoming available the following year.

With a claimed power output of over 50bhp and weighing some 30lbs less than a Manx Norton, the G50 should have been a winner, but it was not until after manufacture ceased in 1962, by which time around 180 machines had been completed, that tuner/entrants in Britain and the USA began to exploit the model's full potential. Subsequent frame and suspension developments - most notably by Tom Arter and Colin Seeley - kept the G50 competitive into the 'Japanese era'.

Many-time British sidecar champion Colin Seeley was another convinced that the design still had untapped potential. Seeley had bought Associated Motor Cycles' racing department when the company went into receivership in 1966. The previous year he had constructed the first Seeley racing frame to house a Matchless G50 engine, and the AMC purchase enabled him to produce complete Seeley G50 and 7R machines. With their improved frames, the four-stroke singles enjoyed renewed competitiveness, Dave Croxford winning the British 500cc Championship on a Seeley G50 in 1968 and '69.

Today, the Matchless G50 and its derivatives continue to be mainstays of classic racing's 500 class, thanks in no small part to the availability of faithful replicas of the original such as the Fred Walmsley-built example offered here, which has a Roger Titchmarsh frame. Purchased by the current vendor circa 2014 from the preceding owner's family, the machine has been maintained by Fred Walmsley (engine) and Manx GP race-winning mechanic Phil Crossland (cycle parts). The engine retains the stock bore/stroke dimensions of 90x78mm and is said to produce 54bhp. Notable features include Molnar electronic ignition; telescopic steering damper; Maxton shock absorbers; Hemmings six-speed gearbox; and belt primary drive. The Matchless has been raced in Lansdowne Cup and CRMC events, on the last occasion at Cadwell Park in September 2019. In addition, the owner has raced the Matchless at the Silverstone MotoGP in 2015; the Belgian Classic Motorcycle GP at Spa (best result, finished 7th in the IHRO event); IHRO Hockenheim in 2017; and the Lansdowne Portimao excursion in 2018. Described by the private vendor as in excellent condition, the machine is offered with a few bills; an engine specification sheet; race results spreadsheet; and its CRMC Classic Machine Registration Certificate.
Offered without key