The legendary British Norton F1R racing bike is about to change hands, with the first specimen to leave the factory being put up for sale in a historic auction.
Auction house H & H has just announced the inclusion of a Norton F1R of extreme historical importance in its fall auction at the National Motorcycle Museum. Described as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”, this bike isn’t just another Norton F1R – it’s the first unit of the F1R model (Type P55) to be produced on the Shenstone assembly line.
Completed on April 1, 1990, the bike made its debut in competitions on the European continent, taking part in the “Battle of the Twins” class in Germany. The choice of this German championship, which allowed prototypes (unlike the British championships which required homologation for production), allowed the Norton team to collect valuable data for future development. This strategy gave the brand time to prepare the production of road bikes, thus paving the way for participation in more prestigious championships in the UK.
However, the bike’s performance in Europe fell short of expectations. According to H&H, the rider, described as “average”, was unable to exploit the machine’s full potential or push its development forward. The project was also hampered by a lack of funding and sponsorship, aggravated by the absence of television coverage of the German championship, which made it difficult to raise publicity for the fairings.
Despite these challenges, the bike took part in five seasons of the “Battle of the Twins”, with its “average” rider occasionally scoring a few victories. After its racing career, the bike was used in exhibitions, ridden by Tim and Joe Seifert.
From a technical point of view, this F1R is a true “hybrid” racing bike. It incorporates a gearbox from a Yamaha OW-01 and a WP front fork from an old P56 rotary racing bike. However, the rear swingarm, frame, exhaust and engine are all genuine prototype racing components. The engine was recently restored by Richard Negus, who added the traditional exhaust system and checked the high-compression rotors, dual ignition trochoids and flat runner Mikuni carburetors, all specially machined.
The auction is scheduled for October 30 at 11am, with an estimated sale of between 52,000 and 56,000 pounds. Interested parties can consult all the details on the auction house’s official website.
This sale represents a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire a piece of British motorcycling history, marking a significant moment in the evolution of Norton racing bikes.