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Spotted: The last two-wheeled Vauxhall?
It may not be the most brilliant photo he ever sent to us, yet Derek Wilson always has a keen eye for the exquisite. He writes: "While over at the Isle of Man TT I spotted a lovely garden center and vintage car and bikes on display in Miltown near Ramsey. It's well worth a look; I found many ratho cars and bikes. One being this 1922 four-cylinder Vauxhall. It could do 82 mph and is believed to be the only survivor of 16 made. They proved to be too expensive to make so production stopped." Well, Derek probably is right, when checking the web, one finds this particular specimen (8718MN) mostly. But wouldn't it be great to find out that somewhere out there is another two-wheeled Vauxhall survivor? Like what happened with YT3839?
Let us know , when you spot something interesting up or along the road.
Published:
Tuesday June 4th, 2013
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Comments
Unknown
07 June 2013, 05:27
Excellent stuff Ian. Particularly your personal involvement in its restoration. The IOM registration explains a lot. Less than ten years ago I saw a blue Vauxhall motorcycle at a 'bike 'do' at Amberley here in Sussex and there was talk of its coming from nearby (relatively) Ricardo engineering - sadly I didn't note its registration number. Do you know if that firm were involved with this machine?
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Unknown
06 June 2013, 09:21
YT 3839 is the same motorcycle. When the bike went to the IOM it had to have an IOM registration.
I was a student apprentice at Vauxhall in 1965 in the apprentice workshops. I remember fitting the original pinion of this bike to a new worm wheel that had been made in the machine tool rebuild section of the factory. Earlier a new petrol tank had been made to the original drawing.
A lot of the original drawings were saved and photographed after the fire and are used by the 30-98 Register to manufacture spares
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I was a student apprentice at Vauxhall in 1965 in the apprentice workshops. I remember fitting the original pinion of this bike to a new worm wheel that had been made in the machine tool rebuild section of the factory. Earlier a new petrol tank had been made to the original drawing.
A lot of the original drawings were saved and photographed after the fire and are used by the 30-98 Register to manufacture spares
Unknown
05 June 2013, 10:52
It is said that only four were commissioned and of those only two completed. Designed By Major Frank Halford, again some say the engine was a scaled-down version of one of his pervious aircraft designs.
As you observe, there is another machine which carries the UK registration number YT3839. There are tantalising details surrounding its restoration, such as drawings being obtained from Vauxhall in the 1960s, only to have the originals together with other priceless stuff destroyed later in a fire. By all accounts it was a sophisticated motorcycle capable of a reasonable turn of speed, easy access for maintenance and good fuel consumption, although one of the footboards acting a silencer must have made for an interesting riding experience.
Another of the great 'might have beens'...a bit like the post WW2 Wooler motorcycle with its rocking beam engine, and capable of being dismantled entirely with one spanner!
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As you observe, there is another machine which carries the UK registration number YT3839. There are tantalising details surrounding its restoration, such as drawings being obtained from Vauxhall in the 1960s, only to have the originals together with other priceless stuff destroyed later in a fire. By all accounts it was a sophisticated motorcycle capable of a reasonable turn of speed, easy access for maintenance and good fuel consumption, although one of the footboards acting a silencer must have made for an interesting riding experience.
Another of the great 'might have beens'...a bit like the post WW2 Wooler motorcycle with its rocking beam engine, and capable of being dismantled entirely with one spanner!