Velocette 1949/1950 KTT Mk VIII 348cc 1 cyl OHC3605

Velocette 1949/1950 KTT Mk VIII 348cc OHC frame # SF 231 engine # KTT1044

After the 1928 TT win Velocette marketed the KTT as the first British “over the counter” racer. Thus began the production of a competitive racing motorcycle that was very successful for almost 25 years.
The final development of the Velocette KTT, the Mk VIII, was introduced in 1938 at that year’s Earls Court Show, and was the first motorcycle to use the now-conventional swinging-arm rear fork with a shock absorber unit. This rear suspension system was designed by Veloce development engineer Harold Willis, and was inspired by the Oleo strut landing gear on the DeHavilland Hornet. Power developed was around 30hp@6500rpm, top speed was more than 100mph. In December 1939 the war stopped KTT production, which was resumed in January 1947 and ended in 1951. Pre war Stanley Woods was the most successful rider on a Mk VIII, post war Freddy Frith and Bob Foster won the 350 cc World Championship in 1949 and 1950 respectively. Approximately 240 Mk VIIIs were built.
This well-maintained KTT comes with an interesting history file. As to her birth history the KTT register’s information states that engine 1044 belonged to a KTT that was despatched on August 2, 1949 to P. Pike an Co. Ltd in Exeter. The frame dates from March/April 1950.
Then we come across KTT1044 in an article on the KTT MK. VIII by John Griffith in Motor Cycling of August 24, 1961. The machine was then owned by Gordon Colquhoun who used her for sprinting. He changed various parts for lighter items such as a smaller petrol tank and lighter oil tank, but carefully retained the original parts. Colquhoun had a garage “MOTO of Catford” in London and later moved to Axminster in Devon. He built a sprint special around a Vincent engine and with this “Moto Vincent” many speed trials were won. A detailed and well-illustrated account of his extraordinary life in motorsport was laid down in his 1995 book “Brands Hatch And Beyond: Memories Of Grass Racing And Record Breaking Sprinting”. In 1993 a German Velocette enthusiast and specialist bought the machine from Paul Beck in Nottingham. He contacted Gordon Colquhoun and the latter was able to relate most of the history of KTT1044 from the moment he bought her around 1955. Letters with this history information are on file. One of the former owners of the machine was Victor Norman, well known in Britain for his “Aerobatic displays” with aeroplanes. The former owner passed away in 2025 and the Velo is now ready for a new keeper. She has been professionally checked and tested and has been furnished with a new piston. A video with the machine running on a test stand is available. The original rear shocks come with the machine and she is all ready to be raced again!

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