Offered from the collection of the late Len Clutterbuck, 1968 Velocette 499cc Venom Thruxton

"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 Velocette Venom Thruxton has effectively had only two owners from new, the third being Len's wife, to whom it has been registered since December 2024. The Thruxton comes with the original purchase receipt dated July 1968, issued by Wilemans Motors in Derby to the first owner, Mr Capper, and a letter from Mr Capper to Len written in 1991 when Len purchased it. Used carefully and cosmetically restored by Len, the Velo has not been started and run since 2019, although the engine has been turned over periodically. The recorded mileage of 16,749 is believed genuine (but not warranted). Following a period of inactivity, recommissioning or possibly more extensive restoration will be required before further use and thus this motorcycle is sold strictly as viewed. The machine is offered with expired MoTs and a V5C Registration Certificate. (It should be noted that the V5C and HPI record the make as 'Velocetti'.)
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