Lot 358: 1926 Triumph 494cc Model P

A landmark machine in the development of the motorcycle in Britain, Triumph’s Model P debuted at the 1924 Motor Cycle Show. A no-frills sidevalve-engined model, the newcomer was priced at £42 17s 6d, at which level it undercut every other 500cc machine then on sale in the UK. Production was soon running at an astonishing 1,000 machines per week, the Model P’s outstanding success undoubtedly hastening the demise of many a minor manufacturer. Production continued until the decade’s end, by which time the Model P had spawned a plethora of derivatives and lost penny-pinching features such as guide-less valves and bicycle-type front brake. This example’s accompanying old-style buff logbook (issued 1953) records only three owners: Frederick G Bullock from July 1926; Roderick Thomas Organ from January 1970 and none other than Sammy Miller, from whom the late owner purchased it some 30-or-so years ago. Apparently an older restoration, the machine will require re-commissioning and the customary safety checks before returning to the road. Offered with Swansea V5C registration document.