I’ve featured a few Silver Jubilees in the past – Triumph made just 2,400 of them, making them one of the rarest variants of the Bonneville ever produced. As you may know, a “Silver Jubilee” denotes the celebration of a 25th Anniversary. In this case, it was for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The 2,400 examples were sold across three markets: the United Kingdom, export to the United States, and export to Commonwealth countries. Distribution volume was not spread equally as the UK and US both got 1,000 bikes each. Each bike came with a Certificate of Ownership, and today’s one-owner example comes with Certificate #0001!
From what I’ve been able to determine, the Silver Jubilee bike concept was conceived by Lord Donald Stokes, who at the time was running British Leyland and consulting with Triumph. The special edition only got cosmetic changes to the paint, seat, and some chrome. Interestingly, each of the three markets had variations in the cosmetics, specifically on the sidecovers: UK bikes said “Limited Edition”, US bikes said “One of a Thousand”, and the other exports bikes said “International Edition.”
Despite nearly 10,000 miles on the odometer, this example looks to be in good shape thanks to care from the sole owner and a recent cleanup and service. Per the seller, who’s offering it on behalf of the original owner, the service included replacing the ignition points, adjusting the valves, rebuilding the carbs, and installing new Dunlop K70s tires. A long list of work performed (over 100 hours worth) is available via the link below. Cosmetically, the bike was cleaned and polished – impressively, an additional set of NOS side covers and seat cover will be included their original boxes. The seller notes one flaw, a “nick in the blue stripe on the left top of the tank that was never fixed to maintain authenticity.” The sale will also include the Certificate of Ownership and some other “factory material regarding the Silver Jubilee edition.” The asking price is higher than I’ve seen for other Silver Jubilees, but how much extra is #1 worth – not to mention the single owner? I guess we’ll find out!
Find this Silver Jubilee Bonnie for sale in Tucson, Arizona here at Italian Iron for $14,999.