c.1969 BSA 650cc Spitfire Mark IV Production Racing Motorcycle, Engine no. A65SBCDE59

c.1969 BSA 650cc Spitfire Mark IV Production Racing Motorcycle
Engine no. A65SBCDE59
• BSA's top-of-the-range sports roadster
• Last-of-the-line model
• Believed built by Steve Brown in the BSA Competitions Department

BSA's answer to Triumph range-topping Bonneville sports roadster, the Spitfire was a new introduction for 1965 in the form of the 'Spitfire Mark II Special', though the name had previously been applied to a US-specification 'street scrambler'. Based on the previous year's Lightning Clubman, the Spitfire boasted a raised compression ratio, high-lift cams, twin Amal GP carburettors, alloy wheel rims, and BSA's 190mm front brake. With a claimed 53bhp on tap, the Spitfire was as quick in a straight line as the Bonneville, though, arguably, not as good looking. There was a slight power increase when Amal Concentric carburettors were standardised for 1967 on the Spitfire Mark III, with a further boost (to 56.5bhp) part way through the year. The Spitfire was last produced (in Mark IV form) in 1968, by which time Triumph's TLS front brake had been standardised.

As far as its competition career is concerned, BSA's unitary construction twin is best remembered for its considerable success powering racing sidecar outfits, most notably those of Chris Vincent, Terry Vinicombe, Norman Hanks, Peter Brown, and Mick Boddice. It enjoyed less success as a solo, though works tester Tony Smith achieved some notable results in British production races in the late 1960s. On the other side of the Atlantic, Rod Gould won the main race at Riverside in 1967 riding a two-year old ex-Daytona works '500' fitted with a Spitfire engine.

We are advised the machine offered here was built by Steve Brown in the BSA Competitions Department, though, unfortunately, nothing is known of its competition career, if any. A total of 11,163 miles is displayed on the odometer. There are no documents with this Lot.