Description
This is Lot 229 in the Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale on April 20th & 21st, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
The disappointing performance of the Matchless G45 twin-cylinder racer prompted Associated Motor Cycles to develop an over-bored version of the firm's successful AJS 7R 350cc single as a contender for the '500' class. Using cycle parts virtually identical to the 7R, the prototype Matchless G50 first ran in 1958, with production versions becoming available the following year. Development was overseen by AMC's legendary engineer, Jack Williams, whose son Peter would later play a leading role in the G50 story.
With a claimed power output of over 50bhp and weighing some 30lbs less than a Manx Norton, the G50 should have been a winner, but it was not until after manufacture ceased in 1962, by which time around 180 machines had been completed, that tuner/ entrants in Britain and the USA began to exploit the model's full potential. Subsequent frame and suspension developments - most notably by Tom Arter and Colin Seeley - kept the G50 competitive into the 'Japanese era'.
This G50's non-magnesium and unnumbered engine suggests that it may be one of the many replicas produced over the years by various specialists. The machine is presented in age-related condition, clearly requiring extensive recommissioning. Prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to its condition and authenticity prior to bidding. Sold strictly as viewed and without documents, history unknown.
