Beschreibung:

When BMW-mounted Georg Meier became the first foreign winner of the Isle of Man Senior TT in 1939, it marked the pinnacle of pre-war success for a firm that, remarkably, had not built a motorcycle of its own until 1923. Originally an aero engine manufacturer, Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) had come into being in July 1917 when the Bayerische Fluzeugwerke (BFW) company was reorganised. BMW’s engines proved their worth time and again in aerial combat in WWI, but on cessation of hostilities the firm had no option but to seek other work. Slowly BMW succeeded in re-establishing itself, and in 1920 turned to motorcycle production. Its first two models, marketed as the Frink and Helios respectively, were failures but a successful proprietary engine was supplied to other manufacturers such as Victoria. Designed by Chief Engineer Max Friz and launched in 1923, the first motorcycle to be sold as a BMW - the R32 - featured a 493cc, twin-cylinder, sidevalve engine having horizontally opposed cylinders, and this ‘flat twin’ layout would forever be associated with the marque. BMW’s first sports machine, the R37, appeared in 1924. The R37 boasted an overhead-valve engine producing almost double the R32’s power output, and in tuned form proved good enough to take the German national championship in its debut year. At that time BMW was not yet ready to challenge the British factories that dominated international racing, choosing instead to concentrate its efforts on speed records. Works rider Ernst Henne held the world motorcycle speed record for most of the 1930s, leaving it at 173.57mph in 1937, a figure that would not be bettered until 1951. From 1935 onwards Henne used a supercharged 500cc twin, and this forced induction technology was first applied to the factory road racers that same year. BMW’s spirit of innovation also extended to the racers’ cycle parts: telescopic front forks were fitted from ’35 and plunger rear suspension from 1937, but it was not until 1939 that it all came together in that historic Senior TT victory. Runner up to Meier on another BMW Kompressor was fellow factory rider John Milns ‘Jock’ West, but the duo’s victory celebrations were clouded by sadness following team-mate Karl Gall’s death in practice. For the Bavarian concern to have any hope of taking the Team Prize it needed a third rider, and the only other BMW runner that year – privateer Tim Reid – had been co-opted into the squad for the Senior race. Reid’s mount was his R51SS over-the-counter racer, one of only three to be exported to the United Kingdom. (Our staff of specialists firmly believe that '506218' is the Tim Reid 'TT' mount. However, we are awaiting final confirmation of this fact at the time that this catalog goes to press. We hope to announce the conclusive results of our findings at the sale). Introduced in 1938, the R51SS used cycle parts closely modelled on those of the works racers but was normally aspirated rather than ‘blown’. Sadly, Reid did not finish what would turn out to be his one and only TT race and what became of him is not known. This R51SS comes with a most extensive history file stretching back to the early 1940s when it was sold by its then owner S R West to one Patrick Arthur Talbot Garland for the sum of £210 plus an OK Supreme TT 250 valued at £40. (The bill of sale dated April 10th 1943 is included). Nine old tax discs dating from 1938 to 1956 are offered with this machine, recording that it was first registered ‘HMX 755’ and licensed in Middlesex on April 21st 1938. AFN Limited, of Isleworth, Middlesex were the UK’s official BMW importers at that time and included in the file is their letter to Patrick Garland dated May 4th 1943 replying to his enquiry regarding instruction manuals. The accompanying old-style logbook, issued on July 9th 1943, records owner P A T Garland as residing at 112 Abingdon Road, Oxford. Subsequent owners listed, in order, are Goodall Motor Cycles, Epsom (April 1953); P A T Garland for the second