IN DETAIL:
The year 1949 was significant for three reasons; it was the first year of the new Grand Prix series of road races from which we now have MotoGP, the last year the Norton Manx had ‘plunger’ style rear suspension and the first year private buyers of a Manx got a double overhead cam engine together with other factory-style features.
Although Norton’s first overhead cam (OHC) engine was launched in 1927, Arthur Carroll and Edgar Franks redesigned the engine in 1929, giving us the classic ‘Manx’ look.
