History

The British Veloce Ltd. motorcycle company dates back to 1896, when Taylor, Gue Co Ltd was founded by John Goodman (later known as John Taylor) to manufacture cycle frames and parts. In 1905, Taylor founded Veloce Limited to produce motorcycles and related products and services, later selling as many hand-built motorcycles as the larger and better-known BSA and Norton. The Velocette range of motorcycles was born in 1913 to much acclaim and even saw some success at the Isle of Man TT.

The Velocette MAC was introduced in 1933, initially using the Velocette MOV 250cc single-cylinder engine before the larger MAC 350cc took over in 1934. This refinement also addressed the reliability issues that earlier examples suffered from. 

Production was paused with the outbreak of World War II, but was restarted shortly after. By 1948, the girder forks were replaced with air-sprung Dowty Oleomatic forks, and again in 1951, with the Veloce tele forks used on the Velocette LE that boasted dampened coil springs. This model year also received an alloy barrel and head upgrade with wider fins to improve cooling. In 1953, a fully adjustable rear suspension, swinging arm, and tube frame were added, along with improvements to the clutch and gearbox. Exhaust styling was also changed from its typical “Fishtail” style to a “Burgess” style. The MAC was even marketed and sold as a sidecar machine starting in 1954 in an attempt to broaden its appeal, but production ended by 1960, and Veloce as a company went defunct in 1971.

This Motorcycle

This particular example, Chassis # 2330, is a 1953 Velocette MAC 350 finished in all black with bold gold accents throughout. While its early history has been lost to time, we know it underwent an extensive restoration by the famed Don Harrell’s British Motorcycle Works in Visalia, CA, from 2011 to 2012. With an odometer reading of only 1 mile since its restoration, this MAC 350 stands as a turn-key concours-quality motorcycle with recent service and tuning in preparation for sale. Upon purchase, the new owner will receive all restoration documentation and receipts, as well as owner’s manuals and other Velocette literature.