1972 Velocette 499cc 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. Writing in his book, Velocette - Technical Excellence Exemplified, marque authority Ivan Rhodes has this to say about the model's origins: "Bertie Goodman and Reg Orpin, of London dealers L Stevens Ltd, developed the idea of the Thruxton, following successes in 24-hour and other events with the Clubman models. Orpin thought of altering the valve angle, but couldn't make his ideas work. He was not an engineer, but a good salesman, so he could see the merit in marketing a special production racing machine."

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 approximately a further 100 produced via Matt and David Holder and various dealers (see below). Today the Thruxton is one of the most sought-after of post-war Velocettes.

This Thruxton was assembled in 1972 by Matt Holder's Aerco Jig & Tool Company, which had purchased the remaining stock after the factory's closure in 1971. A letter on file from The Velocette Motor Cycle Co states: "We are in no doubt that this motorcycle is [one] of the first bikes assembled at the Aerco Jig & Tool works after the closure of Hall Green. These bikes were subsequently sent to L Stevens for Reg Orpin to assess. Engine numbers were never issued on these motorcycles so the number that you have identified is likely to have been issued by L Stevens at this time." This example is the seventh completed by L Stevens, hence the 'LS7' engine number suffix. Thus Orpin had a hand in developing the original Thruxton and was also responsible for supervising the completion of this example, one of the very last.

A correct example known to Ray Thurston's Velocette Thruxton Machine Register for many years, 'LYK 13K' was purchased by the vendor from Venture Classics in 2020 (see letter and invoice on file). In 2009 the Thruxton had been fully overhauled both cosmetically and mechanically by Tony Mortimer. The magneto was overhauled and all parts except some nuts and bolts are original. The only non-standard additions are the V-shaped 'reverse' gear lever (1st gear being selected downwards) and an improved VOC gear pedal adjuster inside the gearbox cover. All the related restoration bills are on file. Following the rebuild the previous owner rode the bike for a mere 100 miles in 10 years. Only some 6,500 believed-genuine miles have been covered since the machine's completion in 1972 (see correspondence on file relating to speedometer overhaul).

The original gear linkage is included in the sale together with various spares and the original service manual and spare parts book stamped by L Stevens (see photographs on Bonhams' web site). Professionally serviced in 2025, the Thruxton was last started in May 2026 (a video on Bonhams' website shows the machine running).

Additional paperwork includes the following:
Current V5C Registration Certificate
Expired MoTs and tax discs
DVLA tax reminder
DVLA vehicle record report
Tony Mortimer correspondence
Tony Morley correspondence
Previous owner email correspondence
Haynes workshop manual and other marque-related literature
Ray Thurston Velocette 'Thruxton Trivia' notes

Prospective purchasers must satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's history, authenticity, originality, mechanical condition, completeness (or otherwise) and compatibility of component parts prior to bidding. It should also be noted that the V5C records the frame number prefix as 'R8', whereas the actual prefix is 'RS'. Sold strictly as seen.
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