LOT 333

The Clive Wood MBE Collection 1951 Norton 490cc 500T Registration no. unregistered Frame no. F3T 40263 Engine no. 40263 F3T

Sold for £5,405 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 333

The Clive Wood MBE Collection, 1951 Norton 490cc 500T

The Spring Stafford Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show|21 April 2024, 11:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

The Clive Wood MBE Collection
1951 Norton 490cc 500T
Registration no. unregistered
Frame no. F3T 40263
Engine no. 40263 F3T

A season of extensive modification and experimentation, begun during the winter of 1947/48 by the legendary McCandless brothers, designers of Norton's peerless 'Featherbed' racing frame, resulted in the first appearance late in 1948 of an entirely new trials model: the 500T. The shorter and lighter WD 16H frame was used for the newcomer, which featured an ingeniously modified lower fork yoke that reduced the wheelbase to a more manageable 53". In its original, 'all-iron' engined form the 500T tipped the scales at 320lbs, while the subsequent adoption of an alloy cylinder head and (later) a Wellworthy alloy barrel brought that down to 300lbs. The 500T was announced as a 1949 model at the 1948 Motor Cycle Show, by which time a young Geoff Duke had already won that year's Allan Jefferies Trial riding a 350cc-engined prototype. Numerous other works and privateer competition successes throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s confirmed that Norton had produced a machine as good as, if not better than, any other rigid-framed trials iron.

This Norton 500T previously belonged to a Mr John Fuller of North Yorkshire, as evidenced by invoices on file, and has belonged to the late owner since at least 1990 (see NOC dating letter). An older restoration, the Norton is offered for recommissioning and sold strictly as viewed (the engine turns over). There is no registration document with this Lot.

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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This Lot will be auctioned on Sunday 21 April starting at 11am GMT.

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