Matchless reloads legendary Model X

Is one of Britain's very first, large-scale motorbike makers (and the first winner of the Isle of Man TT in 1907), about to be revived… not just as a fashion brand, but also as an evocative name on real-life new motorcycles? It looks like it is…

In today's fast-moving world, there isn't always time to make history – so it's just as well that it's often readily available to buy. A case in point could be seen in lot 554 of a Bonhams auction held on 23 April 2006 at Stafford in the north of England, where the opportunity arose to bid for one of the greatest names in motorcycling: Matchless. 

Slow bidding for a fast legend

After some fairly slow bidding, the rights to the Matchless marque were sold for £45,500 including buyers' premium – and then, for several years, things went quiet. Precisely who the Bonhams buyer was remained confidential, but it seems likely that it was the current owner of Matchless, the Italian Malenotti family. Franco Malenotti is a talented motorcycle designer and rider from a wealthy movie-making dynasty who went to work for the British clothing brand Belstaff in the 1980s. He ended up rescuing the company when it fell into financial difficulties, moving it from its original base in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, to a new location near Venice.

Another Belstaff in the making?

In a relatively short space of time, Malenotti transformed Belstaff from an ailing maker of motorcycle kit to an ultra-cool, luxury label beloved of the Hollywood set – and, in the summer of 2011, the firm was sold to the Swiss-based Labelux group for a sum thought to have been in excess of 100 million euros. And now Franco Malenotti is hoping to repeat the feat with the revival of Matchless as an equally trendy fashion brand, which recently launched its first range of chic and beautifully made, biker-inspired clothing for men and women.

A return to motorcycle production

Perhaps more interestingly, however, Matchless is also hinting at a return to motorcycle production with an all-new machine called the Model X Reloaded, unveiled at November's EICMA show in Milan. Inspired by the original V-twin Model X built between 1929 and 1940, the 'Reloaded' version is powered by a punchy, 1916cc S&S engine complemented by classic accents such as fish-tail silencers, wire spoked wheels and a heavily chromed fuel tank with inset instruments. If the bike goes into production, it is unlikely that more than 100 machines will initially be made – and they will probably carry a price tag of around 50,000 euros. If the Matchless name really is going to make it back to the road, it is truly good news – not least because the marque, founded in the 1890s in Plumstead, South London, was one of Britain's very first, large-scale motorcycle manufacturers and the first winner of the inaugural Isle of Man TT in 1907.

 

But let's not get too excited before anything more substantial happens. After all, motorcycles are a lot harder to sell and a lot less profitable than luxury clothes – even when they do carry one of the most evocative names in two-wheeled history.

 

Photos: Matchless / Bonhams / Getty Images

Classic Matchless motorcycles can be found in the Classic Driver Market. 

Cars We Love: Sunbeam Tiger

Who wants to ride a Mustang, when you can tame a Tiger? So thought the sales manager of Rootes American Motors in the 1960s, who kick-started the Sunbeam Tiger concept. Unfortunately, only true connoisseurs ever fully acknowledged this inconspicuous pocket rocket…

Hence the little Sunbeam Tiger never sold on the scale of the much larger Ford Mustang, which – and this is the reason for the comparison – was powered by the same 4.7-litre Ford V8. Inspired by the success of the Shelby Cobra, Ian Garrad, sales manager of the Rootes Group for the West Coast of the USA, sent an Series II Alpine to Carroll Shelby and another to Ken Miles, a former Shelby employee and racer. Both fitted a V8 under the bonnet of the relatively tiny two-seater that was less than four metres long, and just over one and a half metres wide. The prototypes were sent to England, where Sunbeam boss Lord Rootes liked them so much that he commissioned Jensen Motors in West Bromwich to produce a series. Between 1964 and 1967, around 7,100 were built.

Undercover V8

The V8 muscle-car version of the Alpine was no different on the outside from the tame-looking, four-cylinder model – and part of the fun of owning a Sunbeam Tiger was the element of surprise when that powerhouse of an engine fired up. Whether it housed the 4.3-litre V8 with 166HP or the 4.7-litre with 200HP, the sound of the engine was a spectacle in itself, since no one could have guessed that a fully grown tiger lurked under this sheep’s clothing.

Wild about Harry

In the early Sixties, the so-called Le Mans Coupés with fastback bodies were built by British coachbuilder Thomas Harrington. New safety standards and racing ambitions were the reason for these prototypes, and all the bodies rode on Alpine underpinnings – with one exception: ‘Harry’, the only Sunbeam Le Mans Coupé based on a Tiger. This unique car appears in the photographs and, early next year, will be put up for sale by RM Auctions in Arizona. Don’t know about you, but we’re already wild about Harry.

Photos: Matt Jacques ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

This and other Sunbeam Tigers and Alpines can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

Unusual vintage watches, newly interpreted

There are very few established watch manufacturers that aren’t attempting to surf on the vintage watch wave. Despite many attempts, only a handful are successful; here are our favourites…

Baume & Mercier Capeland Chrono

Baume & Mercier produces numerous versions of the vintage-styled Capeland Chrono. In our opinion, the satin-finished brown dial variant with matching leather strap is the most elegant design – all 42mm of it.

Bell & Ross WW1 Guynemer

French watchmaker Bell & Ross is famous for producing aviation-themed watches. The latest offering is the WW1 Guynemer, which pays tribute to legendary French pilot Georges Guynemer, and is inspired by the simple designs he and his fellow aviators might have sported at the time. 

Glycine Airman No 1

Just last year, Glycine brought back the famous Airman, 60 years after it was first introduced. For 2014, it has released the Airman No. 1, which boasts a modest 36mm case – the exact same size as the original and with the same secondary 24-hour display used by US Air Force pilots crossing multiple time zones.

Panerai Radiomir 1940 Chronograph

Panerais have traditionally been put to work not high in the sky, but rather at daunting depths. Drawing inspiration from the circa-1940 case, the latest Radiomir chronograph uses a Minerva movement and retains the simple, honest lines of its vintage forebears.

Zenith Montre d’Aéronef Pilot Type 20 Tourbillon Moonphase

The top model of Zenith’s Montre d’Aéronef Pilot collection is not one for the narrow-wristed: the steel case of the Type 20 Tourbillon measures no less than 48mm in diameter. Those that can carry off a watch of this size will enjoy a classic pilot’s watch with a rare twist – the Moonphase variant is limited to just 25 examples.

If only original vintage watches take your fancy, you can find plenty in the Classic Driver Market.

Motardes..........