A superb and rare photo of the 1954 Velocette racer
during the 1954 Dutch TT Grand Prix at Assen.
Velocette is the name given to motorcycles that were made by Veloce
Ltd, in Hall Green, Birmingham,
England. One of
several motorcycle manufacturers in Birmingham,
Velocette was a small, family-owned firm, selling far fewer hand-built
motorcycles than the giant BSA, Norton or Triumph concerns. Renowned for the
quality of its products, the company was 'always in the picture' in
international motorcycle racing, from the mid-1920s through the 1950s,
culminating in two world championship titles (1949–1950 350 cc) and its
legendary and still-unbeaten 24 hours at 100 mph (161 km/h)
record. Veloce, while small, was a great technical innovator and many of its
patented designs are commonplace on motorcycles today, including the
positive-stop foot shift and swinging arm rear suspension with hydraulic
dampers. The company was founded by John Goodman (born Johannes Gütgemann and
later known as John Taylor before formally changing his name to Goodman) and
William Gue, as "Taylor, Gue Ltd." in 1905. Its first motorcycle was
the Veloce. Later that year, John Taylor set up Veloce Limited, to produce
cycles and related products and services. Veloce Ltd initially produced
four-stroke motorcycles. The first two-stroke, built in 1913, was called a
Velocette. This name was used for all subsequent models. He was joined in 1916
by his sons Percy and Eugene Goodman. Between 1913 and 1925, Veloce only
produced expensive, high-quality two-stroke motorcycles of (nominally)
250 cc, which gained an excellent reputation, and which were entered in
competitions, such as the Isle of Man TT, with some success. The
single-cylinder machines had many advanced features, such as a
throttle-controlled oil pump, which set them apart from other manufacturers'
products. The factory gradually developed this machine from the 'A' series and
variants (A, AC2 - coil ignition, two-speed gearbox, AC3 - three speed gearbox,
etc.), then the 'H' series, the model U and variants, culminating in the model
GTP in 1930, which was produced until 1946. The GTP was a reliable lightweight
motorcycle with good steering and power delivery. In the early 1920s, Veloce
realized that in order to grow as a company, it needed a new machine of
advanced specification and developed an overhead camshaft (OHC) 350 cc engine, which became known as the
'K' series, introduced in 1925. After a year of teething troubles with this new
design, Veloce entered the model KTT into racing events such as the Isle of Man
TT and Brooklands races, and the reliability and sweet running qualities of
their new engine led to a long string of racing successes.
It is a very nice non period photo, that reflects a
wonderful era of Velocette’s rich history in a wonderful way. This is your rare
chance to own this photo, therefore it is printed in a nice large format
of ca. 8" x 10" (ca. 20 cm x 26 cm).
Check
out our other Ebay auctions or contact us for more motorcycle (racing) photos!
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Shipping costs will only be $ 7.00 regardless of how many photos you
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(Note: A. Herl, Inc. does not appear on
photo, for ebay purposes only)
No copyright
expressed or implied. Sold as collectable item only. We are clearing out our
archives that we have gathered from various sources.
All items always sent well
protected in PVC clear files and board backed
envelopes.
We have
photographs that came from professional collections and/or were bought from the
original photographer or press studio! They are all of professional and
excellent quality.
After many decades
of professionally collecting photographs and posters we are clearing out our
archives. They make the perfect gift and are perfectly suited for framing. They
will look gorgeous unframed and will be a true asset nicely framed with a
border. They are a gorgeous and great asset in every home, workshop, workplace,
restaurant, bar or club!
First come -
first served. And you can always contact us for your requests. Please ask any
questions before the auction ends.