Description
This motorcycle is Lot 236 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 Sunday 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 236
c. 1949/ 1931 Norton 490cc 'International' (see text)
Registration no. unregistered
Frame no. B10N ??400
Engine no. CS51083
One of the most charismatic model names in motorcycling, 'International' was first used by Norton for its top-of-the-range sports roadster in 1932. All new, the Inter's overhead-camshaft engine, designed by Arthur Carroll, had been developed in the works racers over the preceding two years and retained Norton's classic 79x100mm bore/ stroke dimensions. By the time production halted in 1939 the Inter was being built with a four-speed foot-change gearbox and plunger rear suspension (the 'garden gate' frame), reappearing postwar in similar guise save for 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, all-alloy engine and 'laid down' 'box. 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.
This Inter has at some time been fitted with a pre-war Carroll-type engine dating from 1931, most likely from a late CS1 model. Acquired in 2005 by the vendor's late brother, the machine is offered for recommissioning or possibly more extensive restoration and thus is sold strictly as viewed.
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.
