LOT 528

1949 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin Registration no. LAU 899 Frame no. TF 26981 Engine no. 5T9104548

Sold for £9,200 inc. premium

Lot 528

1949 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin
Registration no. LAU 899 Frame no. TF 26981 Engine no. 5T9104548

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

1949 Triumph 498cc Speed Twin
Registration no. LAU 899
Frame no. TF 26981
Engine no. 5T9104548

Although Edward Turner's Triumph Speed Twin caused a sensation when it appeared at the 1937 Motorcycle Show, few of its admirers can have guessed how influential the design would prove to be. True, there had been vertical twins before; indeed, Turner's predecessor at Triumph - Val Page - had designed one a few years previously, but the Coventry firm's newcomer established a formula that would be adopted by all of Britain's major motorcycle manufacturers in the succeeding decade. And whereas previous vertical twins had suffered from excess bulk, Turner's was lighter and narrower across the crankcase than the contemporary single-cylinder Tiger 90, and from certain angles looked just like a twin-port single. Performance proved exemplary for a road-going 500, better than 100mph being attainable under favourable conditions.

Our vendor acquired this Speed Twin in Reading as a 'barn find' over 20 years ago and had it completely restored. There are photographs on file of the machine 'as found' and undergoing restoration. Since completion the Triumph has been on display in the vendor's office and as such will require re-commissioning and safety checks prior to use. The old-style V5 on file records the owner in 1979 as one Leslie Hemmings of Leamington Spa, and there is also an MoT from 1979 (issued in Derby) when the recorded mileage was 45,060, and another from 1997 at 2 miles.
Offered without key

Footnotes

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