Classics
Words & photos: Rhys Jones
Evolution and legacy of the Manx Norton
F
ollowing a look at the Matchless G50
in the last issue it is almost impossible
not to think about the most celebrated
‘over the counter’ single cylinder race
bike in racing history, the Manx Norton,
the ultimate single-cylinder racing
machine. Although not in the Norton
catalogue, the appellation ‘Manx’
apparently came from the job-cards
accompanying engines through the assembly shop.
The result was that although it became common to
call the first overhead camshaft model CS1 a Manx,
the true catalogued Manx didn’t appear until 1949.
Norton’s golden years were perhaps the 1930s,
40s and 50s. Although 1954 saw the final factory
commitment to Grand Prix racing, it most certainly
wasn’t the end for Norton at the very highest level
of international road racing. Parent company AMC
announced they would continue to develop and
produce production race models for the following
year. This brought some very talented independent
engineers and tuners into play. In 1961 Mike
Hailwood and Phil Read won 500 and 350cc Isle of
Man TT’s on Manx Nortons prepared by Bill Lacey.
Doug Hele, a pioneering British motorcycle engineer,
who worked in Norton’s experimental division wa s
faced with a modest budget to get more reliability
and speed from the production machines, but then
AMC announced the closure of Bracebridge Street
in 1962 and a move to South East London. Hele left
in 1963, and the writing appeared to be on the wall,
especially when the last batch of Manx Nortons were
built in 1963. In 1966 the racing department’s stock
of Norton, AJS, and Matchless were sold to Colin
Seeley. He in turn sold the manufacturing rights to
John Tickle, but the Tickle Manx soon faded, and
independent engineers such as Ray Petty were left
to prepare race machines. Such was the fertile mind
of Petty that many interesting, innovative ideas
found their way onto his bikes. This was followed
with the, inevitable, complete ‘Petty Manx’.
A number of specials were built by tuners as
they attempted to keep the ageing British single
1952 Ray Petty Manx Norton 350cc long stroke
Brian Thomas hand built Manx Norton Desmo 350cc
1962 500cc Manx Model 30 (350cc also available)
McIntosh Manx Norton at 2000 motorcycle show