1933 Model 40 Norton

Sent by Leonardo in Argentina

Leonardo is the owner of this Norton; it used to belong to his father who won a few races on this one.

Simon: "I looked it up in the Works Records. It's a Model 40. Engine number 24XX. Frame number 509XX. Gearbox: racing Sturmey-Archer 4-speeder, number 10796. Magneto Number 385920 (looks like BTH). Forks number  8989. TT Specification - tuned. Despatched 20/9/33 through the London based Export Merchants Agar Cross. This company dealt exclusively with South America so it is no surprise that this bike is in Argentina."

John: "The Norton has matching frame, engine and gearbox numbers. Note the racing goodies like the megaphone exhaust and rubber Dunlop saddle. It's a bit of a mess but very original. See the pic below; that front downtube had another shape when it left the Works!

1937 Model 40 Manx - For sale

For sale at Yesterdays; a 1937 Model 40.

Sent by Yoshikazu in east Japan.

"This Norton belongs to a friend of mine. I think it's a 1937-1938 Model 40 International. The engine number is 82XX, the frame number is 833XX. Note the magnesium crankcase and "cut" framelug"

Guthrie and Woods at the 1933 Junior TT

Photo by Howard

Jimmy Guthrie on his 1933 Model 40 racer; he came 3rdin the 1933 Junior TT. Stanley Woods, the winner, on the left. Bill Mansell is behind Guthrie, Arthur Carroll at his left shoulder. Norton mechanic Frank Sharratt is holding the handlebars.

1932 Norton M40 Internationals - For Sale

As advertised on the Car and Classic website.

Quoting the seller: "Norton International Model 40, racing specification, delivered in 1932 to Hans Soenius from Cologne. He then was the best the best German road racer and he raced the bike in 1932 and 1933 before he joined NSU as a works rider. Matching frame (46538) and engine numbers (1594). The frame was modified to rear suspension at one point. The black and white photo above shows Hans Soenius on this Inter in 1933. Priced at 15.700 GBP"

and another one from the same seller: "Norton International, Model 40, engine no.1596, sold in 1932 to C.J.Hands from Birmingham in racing specification. The frame is not original and probably left the works part of a CJ, CS1 or ES2. The girder fork is correct for 1932. Front brake with cooling rings, drum is original. Priced at 12.400 GBP"

Both bikes are in the Czech Republic.

Jock Muir, 1933, Model 40 Norton

Sent by Dennis. Text by Simon.

This is Jock (also known as Spug!) Muir. Jock never competed in the TT - only in the Manx, every year from 1930 to 1933 inclusive. His best result was the '31 Senior win, on a Norton. He also came second in '32 on a Velo in the Junior and 5th in the Senior on a Velo in 1930. In '33 he rode a 350 Norton as well and finished 13th on it.

Ko Konijn's Model 40 International Norton

A few blogs ago I reported on Rob's latest purchase, a Model 40 International. A few days later I was contacted by Marcel, a nephew of Ko Konijn who was the previous owner of Rob's Norton and this is Marcel's story:

"When I saw the blog last Saturday, I immediately recognized the 1932 International in the pictures! It used to belong to my late uncle Ko and the last time that I've seen and used it was in early 1999. Ko (in the pictures above) bought the Norton in 1966, in Turnhout, Belgium. When Ko bought the Inter it had been used on road and quite a few parts had been changed from standard specification (like the later gearbox with the kickstarter). Ko did persuade the vendor to include the original racing parts in the deal and when he got the bike home he had it rebuild and he fitted the original parts to bring it back to racing specification. He did not touch the paint or chrome however.

As Rob mentioned already, Ko was passionate about his Norton collection. His Nortons were all over the place and the Inter was stored in Ko's house together with his other motorcycles; because of Ko's bad health he could not ride his Nortons. 

After Ko passed away, his Nortons were not sold as suggested before and most of them are still in the family, though no longer under one roof. Rob's Model 40 and a 1924 Model 16H are the exceptions; they were inherited by a family member who did not care too much about old motorcycles and these two were sold off. It's good to see that the Model 40 is in the hands of an old friend of Ko now and I hope that Rob will enjoy the bike and take good care of it; it's something special as Ko would have said. My brother and I are Norton enthusiasts too, and like in Ko's house, the Nortons are gradually filling up the living room and the hall. This year, I graduated as a goldsmith, and as a masterpiece I made a Norton in silver (below). In many ways, Norton fills our lives. Regards, Marcel"

Frith and Harris

I guess these are Freddy Frith, on a Model 40 International and Ron Harris on a New Imperial; winners of respectively the Junior and Lightweight class in the 1935 Isle of Man GP.

The 1933 TT races

Photos by Howard, research by Simon

The winners of the 1933 Junior TT: Jimmy Guthrie (who came 3rd, number 20) Stanley Woods (the winner, number 16, at 78.08 mph) Tim Hunt (2nd, number 30). Bill Mansell is behind Woods, at his right shoulder. At the far right of the photo is Arthur Carroll having a celebratory drink! At Arthur's right shoulder is a well-known Norton mechanic, Frank Sharratt.

The winners of the 1933 Senior TT: Tim Hunt (3rd, number 25) Stanley Woods (the winner, number 29 at 81.04 mph) and Jimmie Simpson (2nd, number 15). That's Arthur Carroll again at Woods' left shoulder. 

Rob's 1932 Model 40 Norton

Rob has got himself another Norton and this is the story that goes with it:

"This International Norton was advertised recently on PreWarCar and when I looked at the photos I immediately recognized the motorcycle. This Norton once belonged to an old friend of mine, Ko Konijn, who died approximately 12 years ago at the age of 62. As far as I can remember from what he told me, Ko started collecting motorcycles at a young age, in the 1950s and his special interest was Norton... His house was like a museum and there were Nortons all over the place! There were Nortons in the hallway, in the living room, in the kitchen and in his bedroom... Ko had it all, but very few people were ever allowed to see the bikes and fortunately I was one of them. Unfortunately, Ko's health prevented him from riding his beloved motorcycles but he did take very good care of them. After his death his bikes were inherited by his family and this 1932 Model 40 International is one of the few bikes to leave Ko's collection. 

Contact was made with the vendor, a friendly chap in Belgium and John and I took the car and trailer, and a stack of cash and met with the vendor and his family on a parking lot in Antwerp...tough negotiations followed but inevitably the Model 40 came back to Holland.

The Norton looks like it has been used for racing in the first decades of it's life. Some parts have been repainted and the motorcycle bears the scars of competition. The front forks may have been changed at some stage and the four-speed Sturmey Archer racing gearbox as fitted started life in a 1931 Model 30. The Norton is still on obsolete Englebert tyres front and rear. This looks like a motorcycle that has seen some proper use but that has not been restored. It has probably been in storage for more than 50 years...exactly like you would like to find them. And added to the surprise, it starts and runs very well! Regards, Rob"