Norton Manx

The Norton Manx was developed to win the Isle of Man TT from single overhead cam international racers by Norton racing team engineer Joe Craig. The double overhead cam configuration was developed in 1937 and after many problems perfected one year later. The Manx was delayed by the outbreak of World War II but reemerged for the 1946 Manx Grand Prix. The motorcycle was upgraded with new telescopic forks and in 1948 gained twin leading shoe brakes. In 1950 the innovative Featherbed frame was developed, giving the Manx a significant competitive advantage through a low centre of gravity and short wheelbase that was perfectly suited the challenging island TT course. The all-welded, tubular featherbed frame was light and trim, without the usual forgings that added unnecessary weight. In 1950, the featherbed Manx recorded a double hat-trick of podium positions at the TT. The Manx engine was redesigned in 1953 with a much shorter stroke of to improve the rev range. The major 1954 upgrade to the Manx was to have been an engine with the cylinder mounted horizontally to give a much lower centre of gravity – along the lines of the Moto Guzzi and Benelli racers. However, a decline in sales in the mid-1950s prompted a number of manufacturers to withdraw from GP racing in 1954, and Nortons did likewise. The Norton F Type Manx, as it was to have been, still exists, and restored is displayed in the Sammy Millers Museum Collection. With Nortons withdrawal from racing, Joe Craig retired after more than 25 years of coaxing ever more power and reliability from his single cylinder Cammy racers. The bike had several wins at the Bol d'Or from 1958 to 1971. ==Les Archer Norton Manx MX==

British racer Les Archer, Jr. worked with frame specialist Ron Hankins and engine tuner Ray Petty to develop a Norton Manx for motocross competition. The double-overhead-cam, short-stroke Norton Manx road racing engine was fitted into a Hankins frame and finished with an aluminium tank and titanium axles. His earlier Manx MX was successful, winning the 1956 F.I.M. 500 cc European Motocross Championship, but even the later updated 1962 machine was not able to compete with the emerging two-stroke bikes of the middle 1960s. ==Car racing==

Manx Nortons also played a significant role in the development of post war car racing. At the end of 1950, the English national 500 cc regulations were adopted as the new Formula 3. The JAP Speedway engine had dominated the category initially but the Manx was capable of producing significantly more power and became the engine of choice. Many complete motorcycles were bought in order to strip the engine for 500 cc car racing, as Norton would not sell separate engines. Manx rolling chassis were frequently sold on and paired with Triumph twin engines to create Triton cafe racers. ==Endings and beginnings==

1962 was the last full year for the production Norton Manx. In July AMC announced the transfer of production from Bracebridge Street to Woolwich in London. Forty two Manx Nortons were produced between November 1962 and January 1963. John Tickle took over the Manx name when Norton ceased production and acquired a large quantity of spare parts. He also manufactured complete racers, called the Manx T5 (500) and T3 (350). Both used the short-stroke Manx engines in a frame designed by Tickle but he could not compete against the Japanese racers and sold his stock and the rights in the late 1970s to Unity Equipe, a retail spares business in Rochdale, UK. The manufacturing rights then passed in 1994 to Andy Molnar, an engineer based in Preston, UK who firstly produced parts faithful to the original 1961 drawings, followed by engines then complete machines named Molnar Manx. A road-version with alternator and 'softer' engine spec is also available in conjunction with ex-racer Steve Tonkin, called Tonkin Tornado with a 2013 base-price of £34,000 (GBP). ==References==