Beschreibung:

Despite the demonstrable advantages of hub centre steering and the fact that the system has appeared at regular intervals since motorcycling’s earliest days, there had only ever been one machine - before the advent of Yamaha’s GTS - that made it into volume production - the Ner-a-Car. Invented by American Carl A Neracher in 1919, the machine was built under licence in the UK by Sheffield Simplex, using part of what had been the Sopwith Aviation works in Kingston-on-Thames. The basic design remained unaltered - pressed-steel chassis, voluminous front mudguard, hub-centre-steering, friction drive transmission - but whereas US-built models were powered by a two-stroke engine of 221cc, Sheffield Simplex chose to fit their own 285cc unit. Four-stroke sidevalve and (later) overhead-valve 350cc Blackburne-engined versions equipped with conventional three-speed gearboxes followed. Endowed with excellent handling and weather protection the Ner-a-Car was a great success, production only ceasing in 1926 because of problems within other parts of the Sheffield Simplex group. This sidevalve Blackburne-engined ‘barn find’ Ner-a-Car had already begun deteriorating when it was purchased in Chiswick by the current vendor in 1951. Although rusty, the machine appears substantially complete and is offered for restoration - a challenging though by no means impossible project. There are no documents with this Lot.