1975: MALCOLM RATHMELL

MONTESA COTA 348 TWO-STROKE

It was a well-known fact that the Montesa Cota 247 was outdated; the slow sales and company image started to show. So the Spanish manufacturer needed a new model and a top rider to help develop it into a winner. That man was Yorkshire’s Malcolm Rathmell, and the machine was the Montesa Cota 348.

Riding a Bultaco, Rathmell had already proved his abilities in winning the ACU title in

1972 and 1974. In 1975 he spent many long days testing the new prototype Cota 348 in Spain and the UK as Montesa ironed out the development of the new model ready for production. Initially, it had started as an old single downtube Cota 247 frame, but that would soon change. At the Scottish Six Days Trial in the May, the public first viewed what would eventually become the new Cota 348. An allnew duplex tubular steel frame was used with the rear shock absorbers angled in the constant quest for rear-wheel travel and grip. Despite its Cota 348 model identification, the engine was now 305.8cc with six gears. Its rear enclosed chain protection certainly drew the crowds with its black frame, red one-piece seat, and fuel tank unit. Unfortunately, Rathmell did not win the event, but Montesa was more than happy with the 1975 ACU British Championship title.

The first production Cota 348 models arrived in April 1976, but by the end of the year, Montesa had sold 500 units, and Rathmell had retained his title in the UK. As a benchmark of machine sales, the official UK Montesa importer, Jim Sandiford, sold 1,200 trials models in 1977!