1956 BSA Golden Flash with Super Rocket engine

Highlights

  • A10 Golden Flash fitted with a later A10 Super Rocket Engine
  • Exhibited in the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum until May 2022
  • Restored 2004-2014 in US-market specification and colour scheme

The Appeal

Many people would consider the 1950s to have been the heyday of the British motorcycle industry, and what could be more representative of it than BSA, which was by then one of the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturers? 
Post-war production regularly exceeded 50,000 bikes per year, and Birmingham Small Arms products found favour with everyone from ton-up boys to the Royal Mail.
While it was Triumph which, more than any other manufacturer, sought to dominate the American market, BSA fancied a slice of the Stateside sales, too, and to that end it brought out a line of big 650cc twins, direct rivals to the Triumph Tiger and Thunderbird and ideally suited to the long, straight American roads.
Here we have an amalgamation of two of BSA's most valiant efforts, manifested in this combination of a 1956 A10 Golden Flash and a 1961 A10 Super Rocket Engine.
This lovely motorcycle was treated to a restoration between 2004 and 2014, shortly after which it joined the large classic car and motorcycle collection at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum. 
The reading of two miles on the odometer would suggest that it has not really been ridden at all since its restoration, so with a bit of fresh fuel and a service, you'll be getting a great bike to use and enjoy.

The History and Paperwork

  • Frame first registered in Britain in June 1956
  • In single ownership from 1956 to 2014, according to the V5
  • Restored and rebuilt to American specification, in an American colour scheme, from 2004 to 2015
  • Purchased by a prominent collector in December 2015
  • Exhibited at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum in Calne, Wiltshire, until 2022
  • Paperwork includes the current V5 and the Atwell-Wilson exhibit sheet
The BSA Owners Club have informed us that the frame 'EA7.7536', was originally an A10 Golden Flash model shipped from BSA to Japan in October 1956. The engine 'DA10R.6162', was shipped from BSA as an A10 Super Rocket to Australia in October 1961. (In a 'GA7' prefix frame).

The Condition

  • Eight-year-old restoration still presents very well
  • Chrome still possesses a mirror-like shine
  • Seat in like-new condition
Resplendent in its vibrant colour scheme of metallic red with a half-chrome tank – a combination intended to appeal to American buyers – this BSA looks fantastic and is guaranteed to turn heads wherever it goes. 
Having possibly only been ridden for two miles since its restoration, spending all its time as an exhibit in a private collection and a museum, it has had very little chance to deteriorate, hence it still looks really good.
The paintwork is really smart and we were unable to detect any blemishes or signs of wear.
Close inspection of the chrome reveals a very subtle patina, but it really is not obvious until you examine it closely and, even then, it does not hamper the appearance of the bike. The mudguards especially look to be in very good order, and are sure to polish up very well.
The wheels and tyres are all in fine order, and the seat is in such good condition it could easily be mistaken for new. Considering that it was almost certainly reupholstered during the restoration and has subsequently only been ridden for two miles, we would consider it to still be virtually new.
The only cosmetic blemishes we could identify concern the decals, some of which have been worn away in places, but they are not badly affected and, if you really wanted the bike to be perfect in that regard, it would be neither difficult nor expensive to source some new items.

The Mechanics

  • Potent 650cc parallel twin
  • Alloy head, 8.5:1 compression pistons and high-lift camshaft
  • Only two miles covered, so still to be run in!
A big 650 twin such as that fitted to the Super Rocket made quite a statement back in the mid-1950s. 
While your dad may have been quite happy with his sensible Francis-Barnett Falcon, thank you very much, and countless hordes of impoverished students had to be content with scooting around on Bantams, the sound and speed of BSA's big 650s suggested both rebellion and prosperity. 
With a bike like this, you were king of the road, the envy of your motorcycle club or your local coffee bar.
While we haven’t seen this bike start, it is highly likely that the engine has barely been run since being rebuilt and it will not have deteriorated during its time as a museum exhibit, so we don’t see why it should take more than some new fuel and a fresh service to get it up and running.
It will, of course, need a bit of running in, but those first 500 miles will give you a good opportunity to familiarise yourself with the bike. 
While it has not been subjected to an MOT since being restored, the work has obviously all been completed to a high standard so we don’t imagine that any serious problems would arise if it were to be tested. 
Even so, we do, of course, recommend that the buyer undertake some precautionary checks and satisfy themselves as to its roadworthiness, but we’ve no doubts that this one is in very good order.

Summary

This example is a fantastic survivor, presented in American specification although it was built for the British market. 
Restored to a very high standard and offered for sale after a time as a museum exhibit, a quick service and a bit of running-in should be all that’s needed to make this a delightful, usable bike for summer.

Notice to bidders

All items in this listing are sold on an “As Is - Where Is” basis. Photos and listing descriptions should be used as a guide only.  Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information in this listing and Car & Classic performs a level of due diligence prior to the auction, we do not warrant the accuracy of the listings. The seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Inspection is highly recommended prior to bidding. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion.

Please take care when making a bid as once your bid is placed, it cannot be withdrawn and will not be cancelled. If you are unsure do not bid as no refunds will be given.

A nonrefundable buyer deposit is applied to all items won at auction. Please see our FAQs and T&Cs for further details.
All bidding is subject to our T&Cs. By registering and bidding you agree to the terms. Please ensure you clearly read them alongside the special terms and conditions contained in this listing.

Consulta le nostre FAQ qui e i nostri Termini e condizioni qui

Domande frequenti sulle aste
Specifiche del veicolo
  • Anno 1956
  • Marca BSA
  • Modello Golden Flash
  • Colore Black & Silver
  • Chilometraggio 2 Miglia
  • Cilindrata 650
Dettagli d'asta
  • Tipo di venditore Rivenditore
  • Posizione London
  • Paese Regno Unito
Storico delle offerte
28 offerte
  • M&•••• £6,100 01/09/22
  • wh•••• £6,000 01/09/22
  • M&•••• £5,900 01/09/22
  • wh•••• £5,800 01/09/22
  • M&•••• £5,700 01/09/22
  • wh•••• £5,600 01/09/22
  • M&•••• £5,500 01/09/22
  • M&•••• £5,400 01/09/22
  • wh•••• £5,300 01/09/22
  • M&•••• £5,200 01/09/22
Invia messaggio a team Aste di C&C

La galleria

Il modo più sicuro per acquistare un'auto d'epoca online

Il sistema di pagamento sicuro di Car & Classic protegge acquirenti e venditori. Al termine dell'asta, l'offerente vincente trasferisce il pagamento su un conto vincolato di terzi. Una volta completato il trasferimento del veicolo, entrambe le parti confermano di essere soddisfatte della vendita e il denaro viene rilasciato al venditore. Maggiori informazioni su come acquistare con noi
Processo di pagamento sicuro e protetto

Come funzionano le offerte massime

Il processo di offerta massima ti permette di fare offerte senza preoccupazioni.

Inserisci la tua offerta massima e il sistema farà offerte automaticamente per assicurarsi che tu sia il miglior offerente - fino all'ammontare da te stabilito come tetto massimo.

Anti-sniping

Car & Classic contrasta il fenomeno dello “sniping”, ovvero il fenomeno dei rilanci all'ultimo secondo per vincere l'asta.

Se viene fatta un'offerta nei 3 minuti prima della chiusura dell'asta, la scadenza di questa viene automaticamente estesa di 2 minuti per permettere agli altri offerenti di reagire e, se lo desiderano, di rilanciare.

Incrementi di offerta automatica

  • Se la sua offerta massima è uguale o inferiore al prezzo di riserva, la sua offerta massima sarà applicata per intero se lei è il miglior offerente.
  • Se siete il miglior offerente e fate un'offerta massima superiore a quella di riserva, la riserva verrà automaticamente inserita come prima offerta.
    • Una volta raggiunta la riserva, Car & Classic si assicurerà che tu sia il miglior offerente utilizzando solo gli incrementi di offerta indicati di seguito.
    • Vi terremo in testa fino alla vostra offerta massima O all'incremento più vicino alla vostra offerta massima, a condizione che la vostra offerta massima sia sufficiente a coprire il valore dell'incremento.

Ammontare dell'offerta Incremento
Da £0 a £9,999 £100.00
Da £10,000 a £49,999 £250.00
Da £50,000 a £99,999 £500.00
£100,000 + £1,000.00

Superamento immediato dell'offerta

Quando piazzi un'offerta massima e questa viene immediatamente superata, questo significa che un altro offerente ha impostato una soglia di offerta massima superiore alla tua.

Puoi fare nuovamente un'offerta o impostare una soglia più alta di offerta massima e il nostro sistema rilancerà fino alla nuova soglia, cercando di portarti a essere il miglior offerente.

Offerte massime di pari ammontare

Quando ci sono due offerte massime di pari ammontare, quella impostata per prima è quella che viene considerata “migliore offerta”.

Pre-autorizzazione

Potremmo trattenere un piccolo importo di pre-autorizzazione sulla tua carta fino alla fine dell'asta, quando quest'ultimo verrà poi stornato. Se vinci, verrà prelevata una caparra che verrà detratta dal pagamento del prezzo di vendita per il veicolo e non comporta costi aggiuntivi per te.

Cosa sono le Offerte pre-asta?

Offerte pre-asta significa che avete la possibilità di fare offerte prima dell'inizio ufficiale dell'asta.
Verrà comunicato se si è il miglior offerente o meno all'inizio dell'asta.

Problema con l'offerta

Le offerte sono contrattualmente vincolanti. Per tutelare l'utente, sono previste alcune regole nel caso in cui si ritenga che sia stato digitato in modo errato. Si prega di controllare e modificare quanto inserito.