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LOT 222

The John Hobbs Collection c.1905 Vindec Special Project Registration no. AEL 641A Frame no. 166036 Engine no. 4992

Sold for £1,265 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 222

The John Hobbs Collection, c.1905 Vindec Special Project

The John Hobbs Collection
c.1905 Vindec Special Project
Registration no. AEL 641A
Frame no. 166036
Engine no. 4992

Not to be confused with the Brown Brothers' British-made Vindec, the Vindec Special was built in Cologne, Germany by the Köln-Lindenthaler Metallwerke AG, which also marketed its products - both cars and motorcycles - as 'Allright' (Allreit). Vindec Special products were distributed in the UK by the South British Trading Company (SBT) under the guidance of William 'Billy' Wells, who was later to handle the importation and sales of Indian motorcycles with great success in Britain, Europe and the Colonies. The Vindec Special was first exhibited at the 1903 Stanley Show in London. That machine was powered by a 2¾hp Fafnir engine (FN and Minerva engines would be used also) but by 1907 the 5hp Peugeot v-twin engine had been adopted. Thanks to Billy Wells' competition successes, and favourable press reports by journalists such as Ixion, who described the machine in glowing terms, the Vindec Special earned itself an enviable reputation. It was in the 1907 Tourist Trophy race on the Isle of Man that the Vindec Special first caught the public's attention. This Vindec Special is offered as an incomplete restoration project and appears to incorporate some restored, unrestored and reproduction components, while various parts are missing. Note the 'SBT' initials cast into the crankcases of the engine, which is of the inlet-over-exhaust type and equipped with a Bosch magneto. The machine is offered with a V5C document, an HPI check sheet, and some correspondence. Requiring restoration to a greater or lesser extent, prospective bidders must satisfy themselves as to the condition, completeness, correctness, date and suitability of the machine's component parts prior to bidding.

Footnotes

All lots are sold 'as is/where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding.

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