To be sold in aid of St Wilfrid's Hospice, Chichester, c.1912 Triumph 3½hp

The first Triumph motorcycle of 1902 used a Belgian Minerva engine, but within a few years the Coventry firm - originally a bicycle manufacturer founded by German immigrants Siegfried Bettman and Maurice Schulte - was building its own power units. The first of these - a 298cc single-cylinder sidevalve - arrived in 1904. This first design was not without its weaknesses: pistons and bores wore out quickly and the curious 'tandem down-tube' frame often broke, but these shortcomings were soon sorted and within a couple of years 'Triumph' was a byword for reliability. The famous 3½hp model first appeared in 1907. Originally of 453cc, its sidevalve engine was enlarged to 476cc in 1908 and finally to 499cc in 1910 before being superseded by the 4hp model in 1914.

The company was involved in racing from its earliest days, and the publicity generated by competition successes - Jack Marshall won the 1908 Isle of Man TT's single-cylinder class for Triumph having finished second the previous year - greatly stimulated sales. By the outbreak of The Great War, the marque's reputation for quality and dependability was well-established, leading to substantial orders for 'Trusty Triumphs' for British and Allied forces.

This wonderful early Triumph appears to be in quite remarkably original and unrestored condition (the engine turns over). The machine carries a tax disc that expired in April 1971, which may well be when it was last used, together with a Sunbeam MCC Pioneer Register plaque dating it to 1912, while on the other side of the fuel tank is a Happy Wanderers MCC plaque commemorating their Salisbury Plain Veteran Rally of 1959. Ideally, this 100-plus years old Veteran needs nothing more than a thorough mechanical rebuild and some new tyres; it would be a crying shame to fully restore such a remarkable survivor.

Accompanying documentation consists of a photocopy of the current V5C Registration Certificate. The date of first registration is recorded as 27th May 1921 per said V5C, this being shortly after the introduction of the Roads Act of 1920, which required local councils to register all vehicles at the time of licensing and to allocate a separate number to each. (Many vehicles, although in existence for several years in some cases, were only registered for the first time after the Act's passing, as is the case with this Triumph). It should be noted that both the HPI report and V5C incorrectly record the frame number as '19201', omitting the final '0' visible on the machine, while the engine number is incorrectly recorded as '19702', these being obvious clerical errors. The machine is offered with some spare parts, instruction manuals, and two Pioneer Run pennants (1959 and 1961).

The proceeds of this sale will be benefit St Wilfrid's Hospice palliative care centre in Chichester. The Triumph was donated to the hospice by a patient who has since passed away. St Wilfrid's Hospice is an independent charity that for over 35 years has been supporting local people in their community who are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness. Their vision is for all dying people and their loved ones to have access to the support and care they need. They support over 340 people at any one time, from their 14-bed ward at the Hospice and their Hospice Community Team visiting people at home.

Prospective bidders must satisfy themselves as to the condition, completeness, authenticity and compatibility of this lot's component parts, prior to bidding. Sold strictly as viewed.
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