Matchless 498cc G50 Racing Motorcycle

• One of only some 180 built
• Present ownership since 2019
• Engine rebuilt in 2019
• Reputedly raced by Dave Storry

The disappointing performance of the Matchless G45 twin-cylinder racer prompted Associated Motor Cycles to develop an over-bored version of the firm's successful AJS 7R 350 single as a contender for the '500' class. Using cycle parts virtually identical to the 7R, the prototype Matchless G50 first ran in 1958, with production versions becoming available the following year. Development was overseen by AMC's legendary engineer, Jack Williams, whose son Peter would later play a leading role in the G50 story.

With a claimed power output of over 50bhp and weighing some 30lbs less than a Manx Norton, the G50 should have been a winner, but it was not until after manufacture ceased in 1962, by which time around 180 machines had been completed, that tuner/entrants in Britain and the USA began to exploit the model's full potential. Subsequent frame and suspension developments - most notably by Tom Arter and Colin Seeley - kept the G50 competitive into the 'Japanese era'.
Ridden by Peter Williams, the Arter-Matchless proved that a single-cylinder machine could still be competitive on short circuits and at the Isle of Man TT, and in 1973 Williams finished 2nd in the Senior race, beaten only by Giacomo Agostini's works MV. Today, the Matchless G50 and its derivatives continue to be mainstays of classic racing's 500 class, thanks in no small part to the availability of faithful replicas of the original. The fact that so few were built makes a genuine original G50 a prized acquisition today.

The vendor purchased this G50 at an auction in 2019; he then had the engine overhauled and replaced the mudguards and tyres. The engine rebuild cost around £5,000 and details may be found in the accompanying book. Following the rebuild the G50 completed some laps of Mallory Park and is said to have run very well. (It last ran in 2019.) Prior to the vendor's acquisition the machine was - reputedly - raced by Dave Storry, who is recorded in the IoTT Database as riding a Matchless in the Classic Senior event in 1987 and 1990, finishing 6th and 8th respectively. Given its lengthy period of inactivity, the Matchless will require recommissioning before returning to the track and thus is sold strictly as viewed, its mechanical condition unknown. It should be noted, the frame number (stamped to the front welded fairing bracket) appears to be a later stamp.
Key not required