To say that Norton dominated the 350 and 500 class at Isle of Man TT for the 10 years immediately following WWII would be putting it mildly. Norton Manx singles had their way with the field time after time.
Norton introduced the DOHC single Manx in 1946. It had been designed and tested just prior to WWII and debuted as the ‘Manx Grand Prix’. The Grand Prix name was dropped for 1946. The ‘Featherbed’ frame was developed for the 1950 Manx and gave it a competitive advantage. 1953 saw a major motor change with a much shorter stroke and quicker rev response. Norton developed a horizontal single for the 1954 racing season but never ran it as the factory pulled out of racing.
Norton sold its last Manx in 1963 but the Manx was raced competitively for many more years.
The 1956 Norton Manx 350 was identical to the Manx 500 except for engine displacement. The Manx used a 348 CC air cooled dual overhead cam single cylinder motor that made 35 HP. A 4 speed transmission with a featherbed frame and total weight of 310 LBS gave it a top speed of 115 MPH.
This particular 1956 Norton Manx 350 (ENGINE # 40M 69289 / FRAME # K40M2-65393) is at Heroes Motorcycles in Los Angeles, California. The bike is listed as ‘fully restored’ and is sitting on the starting bid of $50,000 with reserve not met and a Buy It Now price of $69,500
Sources:
Wikipedia
Classic British Motorcycles
Classic Motorbikes
Yesterdays