1968 Velocette 499cc Venom Thruxton

•One of the most highly prized of British sporting 'singles'
•Only three owners from new
•Restored in the early 2000s
•Present ownership since 2015

"Prestige machine of the pushrod range was the Venom Thruxton 500. It incorporated all the accumulated experience gained in the years the Venom Clubman has been raced in long-distance events, plus the development of the 12 and 24-hour record breaker." – C E A 'Titch' Allen, The Velocette Saga.

Production race successes, notably in the Thruxton 500 Mile event prompted Veloce Ltd to adopt that name for their newly introduced top-of-the-range sports roadster in 1964. Based on the existing Venom, the Thruxton featured a tuned engine with revised big-valve cylinder head, Amal GP carburettor, clip-on handlebars, rear-set footrests and a twin-leading-shoe front brake as standard equipment. Although the Thruxton took its name from the eponymous Hampshire racing circuit, arguably its finest hour came in 1967 when Manxman Neil Kelly won the '500' class in the Isle of Man TT's Production race, newly introduced for that year.

Although much admired by the café racing fraternity, the Thruxton's necessarily high price limited its appeal to a select handful of wealthy connoisseurs. It is thought that as few as 1,100 were made by the factory (with a further 55-60 assembled from parts by main dealers) and today the Thruxton is one of the most sought-after of post-war Velocettes.

This particular Thruxton was supplied new by The Kart House of Darlington to Norman Robson of Crook, County Durham. The late owner purchased the machine at Bonhams' Stafford sale in April 2015 (Lot 285). The previous owner, only its second in almost 50 years, had acquired the machine circa 1990 and meticulously restored it to what in 2015 was described as 'as new' condition. Completed around 2005, the Thruxton was run and exhibited at shows all over the Northeast of England. Having been stored in controlled conditions and unused since purchase the machine will require recommissioning to a greater or lesser extent before further use and thus is sold strictly as viewed.