LOT 522

1937 Rudge 499cc Ulster Registration no. ATP 755 Frame no. 61224 Engine no. U3010 (see text)

Sold for £10,350 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

Lot 522

1937 Rudge 499cc Ulster
Registration no. ATP 755 Frame no. 61224 Engine no. U3010 (see text)

The Spring Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show|23 April 2022, 10:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

1937 Rudge 499cc Ulster
Registration no. ATP 755
Frame no. 61224
Engine no. U3010 (see text)

The full potential of Rudge's four-valves-per-cylinder design was slow to emerge, but in 1928 Graham Walker's works 500 became the first motorcycle to win a road race - the Ulster Grand Prix - at an average speed in excess of 80mph, a feat that led to the introduction of the legendary 'Ulster' sports model. Early engines deployed parallel valves in a pent-roof combustion chamber, but then a trio of 350s appeared at the 1930 Isle of Man TT with radially disposed valves. This new arrangement emphatically demonstrated its superiority when the Rudge team of Tyrell Smith, Ernie Nott and Graham Walker finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Junior TT, while Wal Handley won the Senior event, bringing home the coveted Team Prize for Rudge. Not surprisingly, the Ulster became the machine to own. Several different valve arrangements were tried across a variety of 250cc, 350cc and 500cc four-valve models as the range developed throughout the next decade. Sadly, the marque did not re-emerge after WW2.

Owned by the vendor's family since 1983, this 'bronze-head' Ulster has been on display in a private museum and has not run for at least 20 years (the attached tax disc expired in 1971). Re-commissioning or possibly more extensive restoration will be required before further use (the engine turns over). Accompanying documentation consists of an old-type V5C and a continuation RF60 logbook from 1959 (both listing a different engine number.
Offered without key

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