First ever Norton ES2 sold by Cheffins

The first ever Norton ES2 to be recorded by Norton was sold on July 23 by East Anglia auctioneer Cheffins. It was one of four factory TT spec OHV machines built for the Amateur TT races of September 1927 and was supplied to Mr H Matthews. The issue of The Motor Cycle for that month would mention that Matthews’ machine boasted a special seat. It also had the engine number 35580 and is the first ever mention of an ES2 in Norton’s own records.

It was owned by the late Arthur Skinner of Buntingford, Hertfordshire, a wellknown Norton specialist who regarded this motorcycle as the jewel in the crown of his collection. He bought it in the mid-1990s from MZ dealer Alf Green and spent a great deal of time researching its history. It was dissembled for restoration but following Arthur’s death in 2020, most of the original parts were rounded up and the bike that went for auction was a loose assemblage of those parts which will require a full restoration, something that will be helped by the large amount of research material, photos and correspondence which accompanied the bike when it was placed for sale. Nevertheless, it occupies a special place in Norton history and we were a little surprised that the final selling price was £30,000, the low end of the £30,000-40,000 estimate.