Description
This motorcycle is Lot 214 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Autumn Stafford Sale (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show) on 12 & 13 October, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 1 - 176 are to be sold from 11:00 on Saturday 12th October 2024.
Lots 201 - 429 are to be sold from 11:00 on Saturday 13th October 2024.
Public Viewing:
Available 12th & 13th October 2024 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Stafford County Showground (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show).
Lot 214
From the estate of the late Dave Benson
1927 Walker 980cc Bullpup
Registration no. OT 891
Frame no. 1100
Engine no. KT/ N 1432
Unique engineer-built one-off
JAP v-twin engine
Known ownership history
VMCC Sheldon Trophy winner 1979
Present ownership since 1989
This unique motorcycle was built by Farnborough-based engineer Victor Sidney George Walker, who commenced its construction circa 1924/ 1925 and finished it in 1926. The 980cc JAP sidevalve v-twin engine came from a Carden cyclecar and the gearbox from a WWI Sunbeam motorcycle combination. Boasting an exceptionally lengthy wheelbase, the Bullpup is also notable for its very low seat height of only 18 inches.
First registered on 21st April 1926, the Bullpup was used regularly up to 1935 when Mrs Walker succeeded in persuading her husband to buy a car. The machine remained in the Walker family's possession until 1963 when the retired Mr Walker sold it to Mr Leslie Sharpe of Farnborough for £25. Mr Walker died in 1974.
Mr Sharpe got the Bullpup running and entered it in the 1963 Banbury Run and several long-distance competitions including the 'Cornwall 200', covering some 600 miles in reportedly great comfort. Following a catastrophic gearbox failure, the Bullpup was left to deteriorate, passing through the hands of three more owners before being acquired in 1979 by Mr Trevor Innes, who purchased it from a Mr George Sherratt of Camberwell, Southeast London (receipt on file). At that time the engine was seized and the gearbox missing, while the exhaust pipes and silencer had rusted out and there was very little paint. After many hours' work Mr Innes got the Bullpup ready in time for the 1979 Banbury Run where it won the Sheldon Trophy, awarded to the machine of greatest technical interest.
Celebrated motorcycling journalist Bob Currie, at that time editor of The Motor Cycle magazine, mentioned the Walker Bullpup in his report on the '79 Banbury Run: "Every Banbury Run seems to produce a machine of outstanding originality, and this year the Sheldon Trophy was won by the extraordinary 980cc Walker Bullpup, ridden by Australian Trevor Innes. Built at Farnborough, Hants between 1924 and 1927, the lengthy machine represented one man's ideal. Trevor did have one stop before leaving Banbury to clear an oiled plug, but the big machine ran perfectly thereafter."
Following the Banbury Run Mr Innes covered around 2, 000 miles on the Bullpup, participating in numerous rallies in the UK and Ireland, "up and down the Kerry hills". In his account of the machine's history (on file) Mr Innes states: "Here it proved in its element proving able to keep up with a couple of AJS 7Rs down the long winding hills and would climb most in top gear pulling from about 10mph two-up in top. Mr Sharpe had it clocked by his son's Honda at about 82mph."
The Bullpup's 3" of hydraulically damped seat movement proved a boon on these longer rides: "Another interesting story from Ireland is that at the beginning of the week people tended to scoff at the strange machine, but by the end of 700 miles of rough back roads and solid rear ends and people hardly able to walk at the end of the day's riding, people were coming up and saying 'where did you find it? and how lucky I was...
"Despite its unusual appearance, or perhaps because of it, it is probably one of the most comfortable and best handling Vintage machines to be made."
In 1989 Mr Innes sold the Bullpup to the late Dave Benson, former Life Vice President of the British Two-Stroke Club and its Villiers marque specialist (receipt on file). In a letter on file, Dave Benson has this to say about the Bullpup: "It's thought that Mr Victor Walker made this machine for touring with his wife and that's why it is so long to accommodate the double leather seat. It has a back rest for his passenger, a large rear carrier with pannier attachments for luggage, and I've improved the gearbox and lubrication systems and recently improved the electrical system and fitted electric lights and horn for the streets of London. I've also fitted a small windscreen which has lock hinges for vertical application when riding and horizontal to protect the instruments when raining or parked."
The accompanying history folders contains various pieces of correspondence; sundry photocopied press cuttings; a quantity of MoT certificates from the 1990s; old/ current V5/ V5C registration documents; and an old-style continuation logbook issued in 1935 listing the aforementioned Victor Walker and Leslie Sharpe as respective owners. The machine was last taxed until 30th June 2008; it is not known when it last ran and careful recommissioning and/ or restoration will be required before further use.
'Unique' is an overused term when applied to classic vehicles, but this wonderful Walker Bullpup is the real deal.
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.
