McIntosh Manx Norton

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by Phil Smith and Geoff Osborne
1962 Manx Norton replica

An engineering marvel as well as an objet d’art, this New Zealand-built 1962 Manx Norton replica literally runs as good as it looks. And how good is that? In Bruce Anstey’s hands in 2014 it won the Classic TT GP1 class — and set the fastest lap ever for a Manx on the mountain course at the Isle of Man. That’s how good.

In the 1950s, John Surtees rode a Manx on his way up the ladder to successive Grand Prix wins. So did the legendary Mike Hailwood, and Stirling Moss got his car racing start in a revolutionary rear-engine Cooper F3 powered by a Manx Norton engine.

Remarkably, more than a half-century since the last Manx left the factory, the Manx Norton legend continues to grow. Last summer, nine-time Isle of Man winner Anstey rode this New Zealand-built replica to victory in the GP1 class at the Classic TT, winning the Hailwood Trophy with a fastest lap of 108.1mph, the best ever for a Manx Norton. This further defines the Kiwi rider, who was already the fastest rider ever on the island, lapping at 132.298mph on his Honda Fireblade during the 2014 Superbike TT.

Manx then and now

  • Published on Dec 10, 2015
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