Lot 351: c.1956 Triumph 499cc Tiger T100

The sports version of Edward Turner’s trend-setting Speed Twin 500, the Tiger 100 was launched in 1938, reappearing in 1946 with telescopic forks in place of the original girders, and separate dynamo and magneto instead of the pre-war version’s mag-dyno. An alloy cylinder head and barrel were adopted for 1951, these and other engine improvements boosting power to 32bhp, while a swinging-arm frame and 8”-diameter front brake (first seen on the 650cc Tiger 110) were fitted from 1954 onwards. By the decade’s end a splayed-port ‘head with twin carburettors had become standard equipment, and this would represent the ultimate development of the Tiger 100, which in mid-1959 was replaced by the new, unit-construction Tiger 100A. Manufactured circa 1956, this example of Triumph’s classic, pre-unit, middleweight sportster has undergone extensive restoration and only requires relatively minor works to complete it. The machine comes with tank-top luggage grid, knee rubbers and mounting plates (not shown) as well as an instruction manual. It should be noted that there is no engine number stamped on the crankcase and that we have been unable to find a number on the frame. Offered without documents.