Beschreibung:

Designed by engineering genius, Granville Bradshaw and produced by the Sopwith Aircraft Company, the ABC drew heavily on its designer’s wartime experience in the development of air-cooled aero engines. A ground breaking design, the ABC engine was a 398cc overhead-valve horizontally opposed twin with integral four-speed gearbox. Legend has it that the power unit was designed in under three weeks, but Bradshaw did not stop there, going on to draw up the duplex loop frame and sprung front and rear forks that marked out the ABC as one of the most advanced motorcycles of its day. It was fast too, J L E Emerson breaking the one-hour record twice at Brooklands, the second time at an average speed of 70.44mph, a feat that necessitated exceeding 80mph on occasions. Despite these successes, this promising design was hamstrung by production difficulties and price increases, just 3,000-or-so being made up to 1921 when the Sopwith factory ceased manufacture, though production of a modified version was continued by Gnome & Rhone in France. This example is understood to have been delivered new to Australia where the Melbourne importer was Harry Beanham (later patron of the Vintage Motorcycle Club of Australia) who kept the machine for several decades. Brought to the USA from Holland in 2004 by the current owner, the ABC had already been sympathetically restored (in the 1990s) and since acquisition has been rebuilt with re-bored cylinders, new pistons/rings and stainless steel valves. Equipped with leg shields and attractive ‘TT’ handlebars, the machine is said to run well and comes complete with original MOT folder, sundry invoices and (copy) owner’s manual. Without reserve