c.1915 Scott 3¾hp 532cc Two-speed Motorcycle Combination

• Present family ownership since the mid-1960s
• An older restoration
• Kept on static display
• Requires sympathetic recommissioning/restoration

Bradford-born inventor Alfred Angas Scott's experiments with two-stroke motorcycle engines began in the closing years of the 19th Century, leading to the grant of a patent in 1904. The first complete Scott prototype motorcycle followed in 1908, its water-cooled, twin-cylinder engine, two-speed foot-change gear, and all-chain drive marking it out as an exceptionally advanced design for the day. Refinements to the Scott continued to appear on a yearly basis, 1912 models boasting an improved two-speed gear and an engine increased in capacity to 532cc, up from 486cc. For 1913 the aluminium-alloy water-cooled cylinder head was deleted, the water jackets being sealed by circular plates, while the 1914 model featured a drip-feed lubricator in place of the previously used pump that had proved difficult to regulate. Stronger forks able to withstand the stress imposed by a sidecar were fitted, together with a centre stand.

According to factory records held by the VMCC, engine '4129' and frame '823' were originally paired at the Scott factory and despatched on 30th January 1920 to A E Snell, Plymouth as a motorcycle combination ('CO' is a Plymouth registration). However, the logbook records frame '640'. Further correspondence from the VMCC states that frame '640' dates from late 1914 and was part of a military machine despatched on 11th December 1914 to Vickers Ltd, Erith complete with a gun chassis and a special list of spares (the gun chassis is possibly the one fitted to this machine).

The Scott comes with a buff continuation logbook dating from 1925 listing three owners in Plymouth, Devon, followed by three owners in Penzance, Cornwall, the last of whom – a Mr William Prowse - is recorded as owner in 1933 (the last tax stamp is 1930). The next entry relates to the current family ownership, which dates back to the mid-1960s. The buff logbook states that the Scott was first registered 'CO 2713' in April 1924; however, there is a hand annotation (stamped and dated 1966 by the Plymouth records office) stating that it is in fact a 1921 registration.

Since purchase the Scott has been kept on static display as part of an important private collection and will require recommissioning and/or sympathetic restoration before further use. The machine comes with an old-style V5 and the aforementioned buff logbook.