AMC IS BORN
the factory stopped racing. The 1959 Matchless G50 500cc
single, for instance, had 50 hp, would do 135 mph and was
faster than a Norton Manx. When Bert Hopwood left AMC for
Triumph in 1961, some of the racing magic faded.
WAR INTERVENES
By 1960, the handwriting was on the wall: sales were down
and the future looked bleak for AMC. Between their five onceproud brands, Matchless, AJS, James, Francis-Barnett and
Norton, only Norton was actually making money. The decision
was made to drop everything but the Matchless/AJS singles
and focus everything else on Norton Motorcycles. The singles
never sold well, even Norton sales weren’t as strong as hoped,
and by 1966, AMC was in bankruptcy. Manganese Bronze
Holdings (who also owned Villiers Motorcycles) bought them
out, forming a new company, Norton-Villiers, with ambitious
plans to become big players in the British motorcycles industry.
They planned to do this with a one motorcycle: The Norton
Commando. The rest is history. But for Matchless and AJS,
a few 1967s were sold, and some unsold bikes retagged as
1968s and licensing deals produced a few more bikes scattered
here and there. Alas, by the close of the decade, Matchless, AJS
and the entire AMC stable of brands (except Norton, which
would fail very soon) were relegated to the junkheap that once
was the British motorcycle industry. Truly a pity.
For more history and great photos of classic British motorcycles,
please visit our website at www.Classic-British-Motorcycles.com.
In 1938, Associated Motor Cycles (AMC) is formed, to hold
a stable of brands that included not only Matchless and AJS,
but also Sunbeam, James, Francis-Barnett and ultimately
Norton Motorcycles.
In 1941, Matchless and AJS introduced their new telescopic front
fork, called “Teledraulic”, to rave reviews. WWII saw Matchless
build 80,000 G3 and G3L 350cc singles. The post-war singles
were based on the wartime Matchless G3L. 1949 saw the
company’s first vertical twin, the 500cc Matchless G9. In 1956 it
was enlarged to 600cc (G12) and in 1959 to 650cc (G15).
HARD TIMES
Matchless’s first twin, the 500cc G9.
The AJS version was called the Model 20.
POSTWAR RACING
In racing, the supercharged AJS Porcupine, Matchless G50
and AJS 7R were winning races and helping to cement the
reputations of Matchless and AJS as fast, dependable machines.
In 1952, Derek Farrant won the Manx GP on a 1952 Matchless
G45 twin averaging 88.65mph. AMC withdrew from racing
at the end of the 1954 season, concentrating on sales. But,
unlike most manufacturers, Matchless and AJS were selling
pretty much the same race bikes to the public that the factory
had fielded. And their sales of race bikes continued long after
One of the last: 1968 Matchless G80CS 500 single.
www.thunderroadscolorado.com
October 2016
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 27