Description
This motorcycle is Lot 65 to be auctioned by Bonhams at the Timed-Online June Sale, please see the Bonhams website for full details. The timed online auction runs between June 6th through June 16th, with lots closing from midday June 16th 2025.
Public Viewing:
Available 11th & 12th June 2025 from 09:00 until 17:00, by appointment only at Bonhams Milton Keynes.
Lot 65
c. 1933 Sunbeam 250cc Model 14 'Longstroke'
Registration no. ALO 815
Frame no. 9038
Engine no. HH 5015
Combining the Model 8's bottom-end and 90mm-stroke crankshaft with a 59mm-bore cylinder barrel resulted in a spin-off 'Long Stroke' 250: the Model 14. For the 1935 season the latter was superseded by an all-new 'high camshaft' design, the Model 16, only to return in 1936 in improved form following the 16's disappointing failure. To reduce costs, Burman gearboxes were fitted to many models, the revamped '14' included, but Sunbeam had built its reputation on superlative quality of construction and finish and was unable to drop its standards sufficiently to match its rivals for price. By this time the writing was on the wall for the Wolverhampton concern and in 1937 new owners Associated Motor Cycles took over. Production shifted to Plumstead where the existing range, including the Model 14, continued for a couple of years before new models were phased in.
One of the last Sunbeam motorcycles to be built at the Sunbeamland factory in Wolverhampton, this Model 14 'Longstroke' was purchased by the vendor in 2010 and used at local rallies in Scotland and throughout the UK. Dry stored and cared for by the vendor, the machine is offered with a V5C document. Please note that the HPI and V5C record the engine number as '445015', a typographical error.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
