Lot 446: Condor 580cc A580 Military Motorcycle

Originally a clock and bicycle maker located in the city of Courfaivre, in the Jura region of Switzerland, Condor turned to motorcycle manufacture in 1901. The company used a wide variety of proprietary engines over the years and was the principal supplier of motorcycles to the Swiss Army from 1939 onwards. Condor introduced the first model of entirely its own manufacture - the BMW-like, A580 flat twin - in 1948. Sold exclusively to the Swiss Army and Police, the A580 featured a four-speed gearbox with high/low ratios (eight speeds in all), shaft drive and enclosed electrics and carburettor. The A580 was updated with telescopic forks and plunger suspension for 1951 and produced until 1954 although the model remained in service until 1977. Finished in military livery and equipped with panniers, pillion seat and tool kit, this Condor comes with old-style Swansea V5 stating (incorrectly) that it was manufactured in 1976, coincidentally the date of first UK registration. The presence of a European roadworthiness test sticker dated 1974 is an indication of when possibly it was last in use.