LOT 67

Offered from the estate of the late Dave Benson, former Life Vice President of the British Two-Stroke Club and its Villiers marque specialist 1937 Francis-Barnett 250cc Seagull Registration no. unregistered (see text) Frame no. GC34123 Engine no. BYPF 3257

Sold for £1,610 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

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Lot 67

Offered from the estate of the late Dave Benson, former Life Vice President of the British Two-Stroke Club and its Villiers marque specialist, 1937 Francis-Barnett 250cc Seagull

Motorcycles Online - The January Sale|27 January 2025, 13:06 GMT|Online, Milton Keynes

Offered from the estate of the late Dave Benson, former Life Vice President of the British Two-Stroke Club and its Villiers marque specialist
1937 Francis-Barnett 250cc Seagull
Registration no. unregistered (see text)
Frame no. GC34123
Engine no. BYPF 3257

Founded by Gordon Francis and Arthur Barnett, Francis-Barnett set up shop in the old Excelsior works in Coventry in 1919. The downturn in the motorcycle market in the early 1920s prompted F-B to switch from producing expensive, high quality machines to the more utilitarian. First seen in 1923, the first of these was the triangulated, pin-jointed, straight-tube frame models whose novel method of construction gave rise to the 'Built Like A Bridge' advertising slogan. With the exception of a pair of Blackburne-engined four-strokes introduced in 1935, Francis-Barnett used Villiers two-stroke engines exclusively throughout the 1930s. Powered by a long-stroke (63x80mm) Villiers engine, the 249cc Seagull debuted in 1935 as the Model 42/43 and remained a feature of the range into 1940.

Purchased by the late Dave Benson in 1995 and stored for some considerable time, this incomplete Seagull is offered for restoration (the engine does not turn over). Accompanying paperwork consists of an old-style continuation logbook recording four owners between 1941 and 1977, and some correspondence concerning changes of ownership. It should be noted that, while displaying the vehicle registration number 'ELD 458' the machine does not appear on the DVLA or HPI database.

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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