Description
National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
Viewing: Tues 24th March from 1pm
Auction: Wed 25th March from 10am
Location: National Motorcycle Museum, Coventry Road, Bickenhill, Solihull B92 0EJ
Registration No: 921 XVTFrame No: RS14534MOT: Exempt
Evidently the recipient of a high-quality restoration
Believed to have been in single ownership until 2015
Very little recent use
Veloce Ltd., the family-owned business which made Velocettes, was a great technical innovator, patenting designs such as the positive-stop foot shift and swinging-arm rear suspension with hydraulic dampers. Its motorsport successes included two 350cc World Championship titles and a still-unbeaten 500cc single-cylinder record of averaging over 100mph for 24 hours. The Venom, itself a 500cc single, appeared in 1955 as a sports version of the MSS, and the Viper was introduced alongside as its 350cc sister. With an engine designed by Charles Udall with a high-compression piston and light-alloy cylinder head, the Viper was handsomely finished in Black or Willow Green with plenty of chrome, and remained in production until 1968. It was said to produce 28bhp and achieve 90mph.
Originally registered in Hull as ‘539 HRH’, this beautiful 1960 Viper was issued with its present registration in 2022. Understood to have been in single ownership until 2015, it has had four owners since then, and entered the current ownership in 2021. It has evidently received a very high-quality restoration at some stage. Since the Viper fell out of use more than twenty years ago, and remained inactive until it was M. O. T.’d in 2021, it seems likely that that was when the restoration was completed. Supplied with the V5C, it fully deserves to be used and shown.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Parking and entry into the auction is free for auction attendees with a catalogue, available at the door.
Catalogues can be purchased for £20 (admits 2 people)
