Norton Model 50

The Norton Model 50 was a touring single built by Norton between 1933 and 1963, with a further Model 50 produced by the parent company AMC in 1965 and 1966 from a re-badged Matchless. Edgar Franks designed it in 1933, and the first run was almost identical to the Model 18 except for the bore and stroke: a 348 cc single-cylinder engine with pushrod-operated overhead valves. Production stopped for the Second World War and restarted in 1956. After 1959 it gained the Featherbed frame, a crankshaft-mounted Lucas alternator with coil ignition and better lighting, and the Slimline frame with new styling in 1961. A used example road-tested in 1964 reached 75 mph with a cruising speed of 50 to 60 mph. Few survive unaltered because many were converted into Tritons with Triumph engines.