1937 Norton 490cc Model 30 International Racing Motorcycle

Registration no. not registered Frame no. 30 71953 Engine no. 78494

• Fully rebuilt in 2017
• Engine rebuilt by Bernie Allen
• Last run at Donington Park in August 2019.

One of the most charismatic model names in motorcycling history, 'International' was first used by Norton for its top-of-the-range sports roadster in 1932. Following its successful Senior TT-winning debut in 1927, the overhead-camshaft Norton had enjoyed mixed fortunes in the Isle of Man, and when the engine's designer, Walter Moore, left to join NSU, Arthur Carroll was charged with carrying out an extensive redesign. First seen in the works racers in 1930, the new motor borrowed features from the successful KTT Velocette, contriving to look very different from its predecessor while remaining unmistakably Norton in execution. The Carroll engine retained the classic 79x100mm bore/stroke dimensions and shaft-and-bevels cam drive of the Moore unit but shifted the magneto drive to the right-hand end of the crankshaft where it was enclosed in a distinctive timing case. The new overhead-cam racer was not an immediate success - 1930 was Rudge's year in the Isle of Man - but came good in 1931 when works rider Tim Hunt kick-started a four-year period of Norton TT domination by winning both the Junior and Senior events. Towards the end of 1930, the Carroll-type engine was introduced on the CS and CJ road models, and in 1932 these were joined by a new top-of-the-range sports roadster - the International or 'Inter' - that bore a closer resemblance to the works racers and was equally at home on the track.

Based on the works bikes and intended primarily for racing, the International could nevertheless be ordered with refinements such as lights and a kickstarter-equipped gearbox. By the time production halted in 1939 it was being built with a four-speed foot-change 'box and plunger rear suspension (the 'Garden Gate' frame), reappearing after the war in similar guise save for the adoption of the hydraulically-damped Roadholder front fork, replacing the pre-war girder. The Inter remained fundamentally unchanged until 1953 when it gained the race-developed Featherbed frame, an all-alloy engine, and the 'laid down' gearbox.

The vendor advises us that this International was assembled from a collection of parts. Notable features include a post-war Manx-type double-overhead-camshaft cylinder head; telescopic steering damper; Smiths tachometer; modern racing tyres; twin-leading-shoe front brake; and modified footrests/controls. The machine was fully rebuilt in 2017, the engine (which runs on methanol) being overhauled by Bernie Allen with a new big-end bearing and high-compression piston, while the gearbox was rebuilt by Bernie at the same time. The Norton was last run at Donington Park in August 2019.
Offered without key