Description
This motorcycle is Lot 372 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Autumn Stafford Sale (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show) on October 10th – 11th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 201 - 407 are to be sold from 11AM local time on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 10th & 11th October 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show).
Lot 372
c. 1936 Norton 490cc Model 30 International
Registration no. XG 3807
Frame no. 30 59495
Engine no. 63071
One of the most charismatic model names in motorcycling history, 'International' was first used by Norton for its top-of-the-range sports roadster in 1932. The Inter's overhead-camshaft engine had been developed in the works racers for the preceding two years, and although (in the case of the '500') it retained the classic 79x100mm bore/ stroke dimensions and shaft-and-bevels cam drive of the existing CS1, was entirely new. Based on the works bikes and intended for racing, the International could nevertheless be ordered with refinements such as lights and a kick-starter equipped gearbox. By the time production halted in 1939 it was being built with a four-speed foot-change 'box and plunger rear suspension (the 'Garden Gate' frame), reappearing after the war in similar guise save for the adoption of the hydraulically-damped Roadholder front fork, which replaced the pre-war girder.
The Inter would remain fundamentally unchanged until 1953 when it gained the race-developed Featherbed frame, an all-alloy engine and the 'laid down' gearbox. Expensive to make and challenged by cheaper parallel twins of comparable performance, the Inter ceased to be catalogued after 1955 but could still be obtained to special order until 1958, many of these later machines incorporating Manx components.
Purchased by the private vendor's father in 1970, this Norton International was used alongside the Motosacoche in this sale for The Classic Motor Cycle's article in its November 1986 edition. The Inter was totally restored in 1988 using a BSA B40 piston; tested at Cadwell Park, it is said to have performed very well. Little used since then, the Inter has been kept on display in the showroom at W H Balderston's motorcycle dealership in Peterborough. Recommissioning will be required before it returns to the road. The machine is offered with an RF60 logbook and an old-style V5.
£5, 000 - 8, 000
All lots are sold ‘as is/ where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness, mileage, engine capacity and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
