Marcos Engineering

Marcos Engineering was a British sports car manufacturer. The name derives from the surnames of founders Jem "Mar"sh and Frank "Cos"tin.
History.
Marcos was founded in Dolgellau, North Wales, in 1959, by Speedex cars' Jem Marsh with aerodynamicist Frank Costin. Costin had earlier worked on the de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers and from there he got the idea to use plywood for the chassis. The company moved to a converted mill in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, in 1963; in 1971 they relocated to a £125,000 purpose-built factory at nearby Westbury.
Problems with exporting cars to the US and the move to the expensive new premises led to financial troubles, and in 1971 Marcos went out of business. In July 1971 it was reported that the Rob Walker Group of Companies, a principal dealer, had acquired the stocks and assets and established a new company, Marcos Ltd. The new owners said production would continue, albeit, at least in the short term, only for the UK market, but it is not clear whether any additional cars were built. Although Marcos dealers in the UK had been heavily discounting new cars since the end of 1970, and Motor magazine reported at the time of the collapse that the company's stock of 35 unsold cars in the United States had to be "liquidated", there may have been a substantial stock of new cars still looking for buyers.
One Saturday in June 1972, what was described as "a cash jumble sale of Marcos bits – prototype and shop soiled components, benches, tools..." took place at the "old Marcos Cars factory" at Westbury. The sale was occasioned by the company's reorganisation and move to a smaller factory.
Marsh stayed in the car business, and bought back the rights to the Marcos name in 1976. In 1981 the brand was relaunched with the Marcos V6 Coupé, which was sold in kit form. The design evolved to incorporate both Rover and Ford V8 engines, as well as moving from kit cars to entirely factory built cars (from 1992), before the company went bankrupt again in 2000.
Canadian entrepreneur Tony Stelliga formed Marcos Engineering with Jem Marsh, and revived production in 2002. Race car production was relocated to the Netherlands while road car production moved to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. By 2005, most of the designers from near-to-bankrupt TVR had joined the company.
On 9 October 2007 it was again announced that Marcos would cease production and go into voluntary liquidation. The design property rights, drawings, jigs and car history files were bought by Marcos Heritage Spares Ltd, owned by Rory MacMath, who had worked closely with Jem Marsh on all the Marcos cars.
Cars.
Marcos GT Xylon, Marcos Luton Gullwing; Marcos fastback GT.
The first car, the Xylon, which had gullwing doors and a windscreen in four panels, was nicknamed the "Ugly Duckling". A total of nine, aimed at 750 Motor Club events, were built in 1959 and 1960. For production the body was made less radical but initially retained the gullwing doors. It was powered by a choice of Ford engines varying from 997 cc to 1498 cc and had Standard 10 and Triumph Herald steering and suspension components. Thirty-nine were made up to 1963.
In 1961, brothers Dennis Adams and Peter Adams started working with Marcos and introduced several changes to the original design. The Marcos Luton Gullwing and the Spyder were introduced in November 1961. This design was again reworked, becoming the Marcos fastback GT, which was displayed at the London Racing Car Show in 1963. The chassis was fabricated from laminated 3 mm thin sheets of marine plywood, giving the cars a strong monocoque and low weight (the GT was internationally homologated with 475 kg), so they performed well in sportscar competition. Most early Marcos models competed in national and international events.
Marcos 1800GT.
In 1964 the Marcos 1800 GT was introduced, using the four-cylinder Volvo B18 engine with overdrive gearbox and De Dion rear axle. This was to be the design that would become familiar to sports car enthusiasts for more than 30 years, even though the original plywood chassis would later be replaced by a steel chassis. A variety of other engines, mostly from Ford, but also from Triumph and Volvo became available over the years. In 1966 the GT was changed to Ford engines of originally 1500 cc, later 1650 and 1600 cc, and a coil-sprung live rear axle. In 1968 the Ford Essex V6 engine from the Capri Mk1 was added. In 1969 the plywood chassis was replaced by steel, which shortened production time and saved on cost, and the Ford Essex V4 engine replaced the earlier inline-fours. In 1971 a few cars with the Triumph 2.5-litre straight-six were built, to use up engines from the slow selling Mantis. As the bonnet was a close fit over the engine, this variety of engines resulted in a corresponding variation in the bonnet design, particularly as regards changes designed to clear engine air intakes, often the only external sign of the type of engine fitted.
The Ford V6 version achieved over on test and the Volvo-engined model was not far behind it, but the heavy cast-iron engines increased nose-heaviness in comparison to the four-cylinder variants. From 1970 cars for the North American markets received Volvo's inline-six cylinder, 3-liter engines coupled to Borg-Warner automatic transmissions. These have tubular steel space frames, a higher ride height and no headlight covers, to get US road certification. Delays and problems with the federalized cars, together with the development costs of the Mantis, led the company to close its doors for the first time.
The Marcos intellectual rights, including jigs, build files and logos were bought by Marcos director Rory MacMath and are now working under the title Marcos Heritage Spares as a restoration and parts company for Marcos Cars (see contact details below for website).
Mini Marcos.
The front-wheel drive Mini Marcos, designed by Malcolm Newell, was introduced in 1965. With a fibreglass monocoque body, Mini subframes and suspension, and a wheelbase of , it was powered by a transversely mounted Mini A-series engine driving the front wheels. A French-entered example came 15th overall in the 1966 Le Mans race, the only British car to finish.
When Marcos stopped making the car in about 1975, another company produced updated versions as the Midas. Cars were also made under licence in South Africa, Australia and Ireland.
Revived in 1991 for the Japanese market, production continued until 1995. A total of over 1300 Mini Marcos cars have been sold in kit form and as complete cars.
After the demise of Marcos Sales Limited, the Mini Marcos moulds were acquired by Marcos Heritage Spares, who relaunched the car in 2005 as the Marcos Heritage Mk. VI and Mk. VI GT.
Marcos Mantis.
In 1968 came the first Mantis, the Mantis XP. A racing car designed for the Group 6 Prototype category, it was powered by a mid-mounted Repco V8 engine. Like earlier Marcos cars it used a plywood monocoque chassis, albeit different from that of the GT. Only one car was made, and its only race was the 1968 1000 km event at Spa, where it retired with electrical problems in heavy rain. Originally Marcos intended to race it in the 1968 Le Mans, but that was postponed from June to September, and by then the car was in America, fitted with a Buick V8 engine (from which the Rover V8 engine was derived).
A full restoration of the XP was completed in 2008. Now based in America, it has visited the UK for the Marcos 50th anniversary celebrations and the Goodwood Festival of speed.
The next Mantis, the four-seater M70, was launched in 1970 and had a fuel-injected 2.5-litre Triumph TR6 six-cylinder injected engine mated to a four-speed gearbox. The promotional brochure says the styling "gives high all round visibility", and "a low centre of gravity together with an extremely wide track ensures superb roadholding. The luxurious interior seats four in comfort, and the boot, with a capacity of 10 cubic feet, makes the Mantis ideal for the man who is going places and wants to travel in style."
Thirty-two were sold before the company went into liquidation in 1972. Autotune acquired the moulds and produced a few more cars in the mid-1980s as the "Autotune Mirage".
Marcos returns.
Jem Marsh resurrected the Marcos brand in 1981, offering the previous GT cars as kits. Engine options included Ford's 3.0 Essex V6, 2.8 Cologne V6, 1600 Crossflow, 2.0 Pinto and 2.0 V4s, plus Triumph's 2.0 and 2.5 straight sixes. About 130 kits were sold up to 1989.
Marcos Mantula, Spyder and Martina.
In 1983 the Marcos Mantula was introduced, externally very similar to the old GT, but now powered by a 3.5-litre Rover V8 with a 5-speed gearbox. This alloy engine weighed less than the previous six-cylinder cast-iron units, reducing overall weight to about 900 kg and making the car competitive against other Rover-powered sports cars such as TVR and Morgan. The engine evolved into the Rover Vitesse EFi engine, and later Mantulas were fitted with the 3.9 EFi. In 1986 the model was made available as a convertible, the Marcos Spyder, which would outsell the coupés in later production. 1989 saw the introduction of independent rear suspension, together with the Ford Sierra's 7" differential and rear disc brakes. The independent suspension allowed a full-width boot and the relocation of the battery and heater/air conditioning. A total of 170 coupés and 119 Spyders were produced.
Launched in 1991, the Marcos Martina was externally very similar to the Mantula, but with flared front wheel arches. It used the Ford Cortina's 2-litre four-cylinder engine, steering and suspension, and approximately 80 were produced. Originally available as kits or factory-built, the cars were all factory-built from 1992. Production of the Mantula and Martina ceased in 1993.
Marcos Mantara, Mantara GTS and LM cars.
In 1992 Marcos left the kit car business, all cars from this point onwards being factory built, and launched the Marcos Mantara which was sold through dealers in limited numbers. The main difference between the Mantara and the Mantula was the adoption of MacPherson strut front suspension in place of the Triumph suspension and associated trunnions. This change resulted in a wider front track, different bonnet, and flared front arches. The rear wheel arches and rear lights were also changed to give the car a more modern appearance. Power steering was also available for the first time. The Mantara was powered as standard by a 3.9-litre fuel injected Rover V8 or a 4.6-litre Rover V8 as an optional alternative.
The Marcos GTS was a version of the Mantara powered by the 2-litre Rover Tomcat engine, on request of the Italian distributor Martes Spider Cars. The top version was the turbo version. The GTS version of the Mantara had a slightly different bonnet incorporating much smoother lines, flared-in headlamps, and a deeper spoiler, which was used on the later Mantaray model. A handful of late Mantara V8's were produced with the same bonnet as the 2.0 litre GTS.
For a return to GT racing, a range of modified Mantaras was also produced in the LM (Le Mans) versions. To qualify as a production vehicle, a limited number of road going cars were also made. Several versions of the LM were made such as the LM400 (with a Rover 3.9-litre V8 engine), LM500 (Rover 5-litre V8) and LM600 (with 6-litre Chevrolet small-block V8). Only 30 road-going LM cars were ever built, and of these only one was a road-going LM600.
Marcos Mantis.
In 1997 the Mantis name was re-used on a 2-seater coupé or convertible road car based on the LM series powered by the 4.6-litre all-aluminium quad-cam Ford 'Modular' engine producing and capable of . To accommodate the engine the bonnet of the Mantis was significantly remodelled from the previous LM range (that used the Rover V8), and the upper chassis rails in the engine bay were widened. Price for the Mantis was £46,883.
In 1998 it was decided to supercharge the engine to produce one of the few British production sports car with over , this being named the Mantis GT. It was first sold in Italy by Martes Spider Cars. Using a Vortech supercharger and intercooler the Mantis GT engine produced , which could accelerate the car from 0–60 mph in 3.7 seconds. Price for the Mantis GT was £64,331.
Production of the Mantis was 51 cars, with 16 being the supercharged GT version (this does not include the Mantis Challenge race cars).
Marcos Mantaray.
In 1997 the Mantara evolved into the Marcos Mantaray, with the re-styled bonnet from the Mantara GTS and with a new shape rear-end. Mechanically the car was identical to the Mantara. It was offered with 4.0 and 4.6-litre Rover V8 as well as the 2-litre, and 2-litre turbo Rover Tomcat engines. Only 11 were made with the 4.0-litre, and seven with the 4.6-litre engine. Total factory production was 26, plus one car in chassis/body component form.
Marcos Marcasite.
In 2002, after a break in production caused by bankruptcy, a new company (Marcos Engineering Ltd) was launched with Jem Marsh as vice-chairman, and with the financial backing of Canadian Tony Stelliga, to manufacture the Marcasite TS250 with a 2.5-litre Ford V6 followed in 2003 by the 5-litre Rover V8-powered TS500. The 2002 price of the TS250 was £29,744 +VAT, with options such as air-conditioning (£1634), full leather interior (£1626) and Hydratrak differential (£360). Other unpriced options included an elm or walnut veneer dashboard, and a newly designed hard top.
Marcos TSO.
The Marcos TSO was launched in 2004 with a Chevrolet V8 engine in either or versions. The car's components were CAD ,designed in England and its chassis engineering was completed by Prodrive. These vehicles were produced by Tony Stelliga of Marcos.
Also in 2004, the 5.7-litre Chevrolet Corvette (LS1) V8 TSO GT was announced, but solely for the Australian market. It was joined in 2005 by the GT2 for the European market.
In 2006 Tony Stelliga announced the TSO GTC, a modified version of the current TSO with a racing suspension, racing brakes and a rear diffuser. The car continues on with its Chevrolet-sourced V8, but there was also a Performance Pack available as well. With the extra power from the Performance Pack the TSO GTC accelerated to in 4.1 seconds and to in 8.5 seconds. With the bigger AP Racing brakes, the TSO GTC delivered a 0–100–0 time of 12.9 seconds, and the extra power allowed it to accelerate from 50 to in just 2.1 seconds. Its top speed was over .
2 prototypes and 7 production models cars exist. Tony Stelliga's company went into liquidation in October 2007.
Marcos Spirit 220.
In 2010 Marcos Cars Limited and Marcos Engineering Limited, along with the original Marcos Logo, were bought and registered by Tony Brown who relaunched the brand in the UK.
A new mid engine prototype was launched in 2013. The cars design was a major move away from the original front engined designs, but Jem Marsh, one of the original founders of Marcos, was consulted during the development process and both he and Dennis Adams, designer of the Marcos Coupe, gave it their approval. Jem Marsh also commented that he’d had intentions of developing a mid engine car and that this was a step in the right direction in ensuring that the cars would appeal to a modern generation of enthusiasts. The car has since been refined and undergone a few design changes in light of further testing.
Racing history.
Wooden wonders.
Marcos started out with race cars, with the first Xylon cars being built specifically for the 750 motor club races. Among the drivers were Jackie Stewart, Bill Moss, John Sutton, Jack Gates, John Mitchell and Jackie Oliver, as well as Jem Marsh. The young Jackie Stewart achieved 4 victories in 1961, while Bill Moss managed 9 victories in 10 starts. John Sutton won the 1961 Autosport Championship, and together with Jack Gates and John Mitchell, Marcos won the team prize.
When the car went into production as the Luton Gullwing many examples were bought for racing. In 1962 Stephen Minoprio was the Autosport 1000cc GT Champion in his Gullwing – setting 7 lap records in the process.
The Gullwing in turn evolved into the GT Fastback, also known as the 'Breadvan'. All 18 fastbacks made in 1963 went into racing, and like the Xylon and Gullwing they were FIA homologated in the GT category. However, without the gull wing doors the fastback's were awkward to get in and out of. Drivers included Jackie Oliver, Terry Sanger, and Derek Bell, and Jem Marsh of course. The sales brochure for the Fastback included options for 5 speed gearbox (Hewland), dry sump, 997cc (84 to 88 bhp) and 1148cc (102 to 104 bhp) full race engines, light alloy bellhousing, 72-litre fuel tank (for endurance racing), light weight alloy oil cooler, perspex windscreen (saving 15 lbs).
The successor Marcos coupé road cars were popular track/day cars, and several were raced in the BARC and BRSCC Modsports championships, including Jonathan Palmer taking the 1977 Modsport championship in a V6. Mark Hales also successfully raced a 1967 wooden chassis V6 in the Modsports class. The 1800 Volvo engined cars are accepted for historic racing under FIA Appendix K, where they are very competitive, and there are still wooden chassis Ford-engined cars being raced. The fact that the wooden chassis can take the stresses of racing for so many years shows what a successful design it was.
Mini Marcos.
The Mini Marcos is also a very successful car on the race track. It made its debut at a rain soaked Castle Combe race track on 25 September 1965. Driven by Geoff Mabbs, it lapped all but one car to win the BRSCC race by 81 seconds at an average of 76 mph.
In 1966 a French Mini Marcos, with Marcos support, was the only British car to complete the Le Mans 24-hour race. For the 1967 Le Mans, Marcos entered their own Mini-Marcos (drivers were Marsh and Chris Lawrence). The car was clocked at 141 mph on the Mulsanne Straight in the April test, but failed to finish the race because of an oil pump failure. The same car was more successful in the Kyalami 9-hour race in Nov 1967, when Marsh and Brian Raubenheimer finished 15th, it appeared again in the 1968 race but did not finish.
Mini Marcos cars were raced widely, especially as a budget endurance race car, but also in local championships in many countries including Modsports in the UK. Mini-Marcos was also the chosen car for the "First Ladies International Race Team" (FLIRT), which competed at events such as the Nurburgring 1000 km race in May 1967, where they retired, the Grand Premio del Mugello in July 1967, coming 37th, and the Nürburgring 500 km race in September 1967 where two cars were fielded with Jackie Bond-Smith coming in 21st and 4th in class, and Joey Cook retiring.
XP prototype.
The XP prototype was intended for the 1968 Le Mans. Raced at Spa as a shakedown test, it was one of many cars that retired with electrical problems in heavy rain. This proved to be its only race. Le Mans was postponed that year and the XP went to America.
Second generation race cars.
After the company's resurrection in 1981 the emphasis was on road cars, although price lists for the early V8 cars included a competition specification for "circuit racing, hill climbs and sprints". Competition options include FIA-approved roll-over bar, limited-slip differential, rose-jointed suspension and full harnesses.
In October 1993 Marcos unveiled its new competition car and announced a return to GT racing, including Le Mans. Based on the Mantara, the cars were designated LM400, LM500 and LM600. After some successes in the British GT championship in 1994, Marcos won it in 1995, 1996 and 2000. Two cars also competed at Le Mans in 1995. Both suffered electrical faults, one retiring and the other (driven by David Leslie, François Migault, and Jem Marsh's son Chris) finishing second to last, having completed 114 laps fewer than the winning McLaren F1 GTR as its electrical problem stranded it on the Mulsanne Straight for two hours soon after the start.
Nineteen ninety-eight saw the launch of the Dunlop-sponsored Mantis Challenge, a one-make race series for the coupé version of the Mantis road car with a dry-sump version of its 4.6-litre quad-cam Ford Modular V8 engine. Complete with FIA roll-cage the cars weighed 950 kg. Entries were few in 1998, and the cars were accepted for the Privilege GT series as GT2, and the French GT series as GT3, winning one of the races in France. In 1999 the field was stronger, and the Dutch Mantis Challenge was also strong, and some races combined both. The 1999 UK series was won by Edward Horner, and the Dutch series by Robert Knook.
Thirty-eight Mantis Challenge cars were built, but the series did not continue beyond 1999, after the GT Championship introduced the GT3 class. Many are still raced, including in the British Endurance Championship (Britcar), and at least one has been converted for road use.
In 2000, the Marcos racing business was sold to longtime GT sponsor Eurotech, a Dutch engineering firm. By that time, all Marcos racing cars and road car chassis were built in the Netherlands, with road car assembly completed in Westbury by a much-reduced staff.
An LM600 driven by Cor Euser competed in the Dutch Supercar Challenge and won the GT Championship in 2002 and 2004, and again in 2009, the 50th anniversary of the founding of Marcos. Euser also has the license to manufacture racing cars, and has done so with a GT3-spec Marcos Mantis, and did the same in a modified Marcos Mantis, named the Marcorelly. He has raced both of these cars in the Benelux-based Supercar Challenge.


A828 road

The A828 road is a primary route along the western coast of Scotland
At its northern end the A828 meets the A82 at South Ballachulish and it runs to a junction with the A85 at Connel; the total length being some . It passes through Highland and Argyll and Bute council areas. The area it runs through, the Appin, is remote and this is evidenced by the fact that the only other numbered road it has a junction with is the minor B845.


A40 road (Northern Ireland)

The A40 links Derry in the North West of Northern Ireland to Raphoe in County Donegal.
Craigavon Bridge.
The A40 commences in the city centre of Derry on the west bank of the River Foyle and is connected with A2 at the Foyleside Roundabout. The A2 continues at a higher elevation along John Street running parallel to the A40 along Foyle Road and travelling under the Craigavon Bridge, whilst the A2 spans the bridge over the Foyle on the higher level to the east bank to the Waterside and Londonderry railway station and around the Ulster coast line. The lower deck of the Craigavon Bridge has connections with the A5 along Victoria Road on the east bank to Strabane and Omagh. The two decks of the double deck Craigavon Bridge are both called Bridge Street, and the lower deck did have railway track linking the lines that served the city for goods trains. The Craigavon Bridge is an underbridge in terms of the A40, and an overbridge in terms of the A2.
City to County.
The A40 then continues with the Foyle Valley Railway on the left and the narrow gauge railway track slowly diverging following the gentle meanders of River Foyle. Housing mainly on the right after a mini roundabout becoming the Letterkenny Road gaining a higher alignment with the countryside and railway line along the tree lined shore in the valley. Over the Foyle is the A5 whilst the A40 moves west inland into farmland and diverges from the Letterkenny Road B193 at Nixons Corner. The B193 to Newtown Cunningham and the A40 turns southwestward along Mullenan Road and crosses from Northern Ireland into County Donegal and then becoming the R236 and running via Carrigans and at Dundee the R265 designation brings the road to St Johnston until Tullyowen before reverting to the R236 linking with Raphoe.


Triumph Thunderbird (2009)

The Triumph Thunderbird is Triumph motorcycle made in Hinckley, England, and sold since June 2009.
The name "Thunderbird" is revived from a previous Triumph three-cylinder 885 cc bike. The name was previously applied to a single carburettor version of the 650cc twin Bonneville produced in the mid-1960s for police work. The final iteration was the Thunderbird Sport, last made in 2004.
Design.
The Thunderbird is a cruiser with a large 200/50 R17 rear tyre. Design was by Tim Prentice in California. The DOHC eight-valve parallel-twin engine has two balance shafts and a 270° crank, which imitates the sound and feel of a V-twin. The engine was originally intended to be modular, namely "two-thirds of" a Triumph Rocket III engine; but after four years of development, the only parts in common are the valves. Power output is and torque is .
The engine has two spark plugs per cylinder, which gives better combustion, resulting in lower fuel consumption, cleaner exhaust emissions, and more power. Brakes are double front discs with four-piston callipers, with a single rear disc also with two-piston callipers (ABS as option). Final drive is via a belt drive.
In 2011, the Thunderbird Storm variant model was released featuring the previously-optional engine fitted as standard, twin headlamps and with a number of black, rather than chrome parts
Reception.
A road test of the Thunderbird by "Motorcycle News" in May 2009,
found that the motorcycle performed well, and handling and braking were significantly superior to comparable American or Japanese cruiser models.
In 2009 and 2010, US motorcycle magazine "Cycle World" awarded the Thunderbird "Best Cruiser" in its annual "Ten Best Bikes" feature.


Triumph Tiger 800

The Triumph Tiger 800 is a dual-sport motorcycle launched in 2010 by British manufacturer Triumph Motorcycles.
The Tiger 800 XR is a more road-oriented bike, while the Tiger 800 XC is designed as a more off-road vehicle.
Model differences.
There are a number of key differences between the two models. The XR has cast alloy wheels, with a 19-inch at the front, while the XC has spoked wheels with alloy rims and a larger 21-inch front. They have the same size of 17" at the rear.
The Tiger 800 XC has longer-travel suspension at the front and rear, with 45 mm forks, compared with 43 mm on the Tiger 800 XR. The Tiger 800 XR has a motorcycle saddle adjustable from , while the Tiger 800 XC saddle is taller at . The XC has more aggressive off-road looks, including a small beak-like high-level mudguard at the front, similar to the BMW F800GS, a bike the Tiger is designed to compete against. Overall the XC is longer, wider, taller and heavier than the XR. The Tiger 800 XC was named "Best Dual Sport" for 2011 by "Cycle World".
Both models share most components, including the engine, fuel tank, instrument panel, steel trellis frame, and brakes, which have optional ABS.
First generation (2010-2014).
The first generation came in 2 models, 800 and 800XC. Both bikes share the same frame and inline-three engine, which is derived from the smaller Triumph Daytona 675. In both cases an official Triumph accessory low seat lowers seat heights by 20 mm. The 2011 model year featured a silver frame, but from 2012-2018 the Tiger had a black frame with the exception of SE (Special Edition) models that had a red frame and accessories.
Second generation (2015-2017).
For the 2015 model year, the Tiger 800 used a second generation "800 cc" engine with drive-by-wire throttle which Triumph claimed improved fuel economy by 17%. Traction control was also added. Optional versions of the Tiger 800 included various combinations of cruise control, auto-cancel indicators, an advanced trip computer, multiple driving modes. Hardware in some versions included engine-protection bars, an aluminum sump guard, a center stand, and WP suspension, which included adjustable front forks.
Third generation (2018-).
In 2018 Triumph launched a new generation of Tiger 800, claiming to have 200 undisclosed modification from the previous generation. There are 6 models on 2 variants:
All version have switchable ABS, twin 305 mm front brake discs and single 255 mm disc, LCD screens with digital instruments. The top version add features like led lights, more ride modes, Brembo front brakes, color TFT screen and heated grips and seat. The weight of the base XR version is 199 kg dry, while the top range XCA version has 208 kg.


Frank E. Baker Motorcycles Ltd

Frank E. Baker Motorcycles Ltd was a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Alvechurch Road, Northfield, Birmingham, England. Founded in 1927 by Frank Baker, the company produced motorcycles under the Baker name until 1930 when it was sold to the James Cycle Co.
History.
The original Precision company was set up by Frank E. Baker in Birmingham. Frank Baker established a reputation for performance motorcycle engines and supplied Haden and Sun motorcycles. He began to build complete motorcycles using frames supplied by Sun, who were based at the nearby the Aston Brook Street factory. At the 1911 Olympia Motorcycle Show in London there were 96 motorcycles with Precision engines and by 1918, the company had over 800 employees. Tom Biggs was appointed as chief designer in 1913. Frank Baker stopped motorcycle & engine production during the First World War.
In 1919 Baker's company was merged with William Beardmore and Company, a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding company based in Glasgow. Between 1921 and 1924 Beardmore produced motorcycles under the name "Beardmore Precision". The first motorcycle produced was a 350 cc two-stroke featuring leaf-spring suspension front and rear and was followed by a range of motorcycles from 250 cc to 600 cc.
When Beardmore stopped production of the Precision in 1924, Baker regained the rights and in 1927 he formed a new company, Frank E. Baker Motorcycles Ltd, and began making Villiers-engined motorcycles, which he produced under the Baker name until 1930, when he sold the business to the James Cycle Co who continued to produce James motorcycles at the Birmingham factory and used Baker's frame for some of their models.


A202 road

The A202 is a primary A road in London. It runs from New Cross Gate to London Victoria station. A section of the route forms a part of the London Inner Ring Road between Vauxhall and Victoria, known as Vauxhall Bridge Road.
No part of the route is in the London Congestion Charge zone, but the section between Vauxhall and Victoria is part of the zone's boundary, which is to the immediate west of Vauxhall Bridge Road.
The A202 is managed by Transport for London (TfL) in its entirety, and is designated a London Red Route.
Route.
London Borough of Lewisham.
At its eastern end, the A202 begins at a junction with the A2/New Cross Road, in the New Cross area of the London Borough of Lewisham. The A2 carries traffic eastbound towards the M25 and destinations in Kent. New Cross Gate station is situated to the east of the A202 terminus.
Heading westbound, the route is named Queen's Road as it enters Peckham and the London Borough of Southwark.
London Borough of Southwark.
Continuing westbound, the A202 passes along the northern rim of Nunhead as it continues towards Peckham town centre. It passes the eponymous railway station, Queens Road Peckham, as it enters the central portion of the locality. Queen's Road was formerly known as Deptford Lane. It was renamed in honour of Queen Victoria, who often passed through it on her way to the Royal Naval School at New Cross.
The route is named Peckham High Street between the railway station and the road's junction with Rye Lane, after which it is named Peckham Road.
St Giles Church and the Camberwell College of Arts mark the end of Peckham Road and the point at which it becomes Camberwell Church Street, and at which the route enters Camberwell.
The A202 meets the A215 at a crossroads to the south of King's College Hospital, after which the route is known as Camberwell New Road. A short portion of Camberwell New Road forms the border between the Boroughs of Southwark and Lambeth.
London Borough of Lambeth.
Camberwell New Road enters Lambeth at a junction with Foxley Road in Kennington. In the Lambeth, the A202 meets the A23, which runs southbound towards Brixton and Gatwick Airport (), and the A3, which links the City of London to Clapham and destinations in Surrey and Hampshire. Oval tube station is situated at the A202 junction with the A3, and A23 roads.
In Kennington, the A202 runs along the southern rim of The Oval as Harleyford Road. The Oval is the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club.
As it leaves Kennington, the route enters the large Vauxhall gyratory, which encircles the Vauxhall Bus Station. As of April 2019, TfL has plans to reconfigure the gyratory and remove the bus station. The Vauxhall area is famous for its "gay village." The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is situated on the A202 route, at the point where Harleyford Road merges with the gyratory and the nearby Kennington Lane.
The A202 leaves the gyratory in a northwesterly direction over Vauxhall Bridge, the point at which it also leaves Lambeth. At this point, the A202 forms part of the London Inner Ring Road. If heading north-west, traffic travels clockwise around the Ring Road. Travelling anti-clockwise, the Ring Road leaves the Vauxhall gyratory along the A3204/Kennington Lane towards Elephant and Castle in an eastbound direction.
City of Westminster.
After Vauxhall Bridge, the A202 continues northwest. The route, carried by Vauxhall Bridge Road, forms the boundary between Millbank and Pimlico. The A202's western terminus is at Victoria station. The Ring Road continues clockwise (northbound) on A302/Grosvenor Place, which leads to Hyde Park Corner.
Cycle Superhighway 5.
Cycle Superhighway 5 (CS5) runs alongside the A202 between Kennington and Westminster.
The route begins near The Oval on the 'northbound' side of Harleyford Road. CS5 runs northwest towards Vauxhall. At Vauxhall, the route crosses Kennington Lane at a signal-controlled junction, running along the eastern perimeter of the gyratory.
North of the gyratory, CS5 runs as a bike freeway across Vauxhall Bridge (adjacent to the A202 southbound carriageway). On the northern side of the bridge, CS5 meets CS8 at a signposted junction. CS8 runs from Wandsworth to Lambeth Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament.
CS5 continues northwards to Regency Street, where it leaves the A202 and travels towards the centre of Westminster. Cyclists may rejoin the A202 northwest towards Victoria at a signal-controlled junction at this point.
South of The Oval, cyclists on the A202 meet Cycle Superhighway 7. CS7 runs alongside the A3 between Elephant and Castle and Clapham Common. The northbound terminus of CS7 is the City of London, whilst its southern terminus is in Collier's Wood.
For the most part, CS5 is traffic-free and cyclists are segregated from other road traffic.


Powerdrive

The Powerdrive was a three-wheeled microcar with a rear-mounted Anzani two cylinder, two stroke engine.
The car was designed by David Gottlieb, whose Powerdrive company had previously worked with the Allard Motor Company on the development of the abortive Allard Clipper. Like the Clipper, the Powerdrive was devised to exploit the lower tax rate then applicable in the UK to three wheeled vehicles weighing less than . Physically, the Powerdrive was larger than other cars in this class, with full-size 13-inch wheels and a large amount of luggage space at both the front and rear. The car's design and styling attracted much praise at its launch at the Dorchester Hotel in London in July 1955.


A957 road

The A957 road, commonly called the Slug Road, is a two lane paved public roadway in Aberdeenshire, Scotland connecting Stonehaven to the A93 road near Crathes after crossing the River Dee, Aberdeenshire over Durris Bridge.
History and route.
The A957 passes slightly to the south of the historic Ury Estate and somewhat to the north of Rickarton House. Proceeding northwesterly, the Slug Road passes by Fetteresso Forest and Durris Forest and eventually by the Balbridie Neolithic timber hall.
The etymology of Slug Road is asserted to be a derivation of the Gaelic word "sloc", which means hollow or dell, thus named due to the road traversing a narrow mountain pass.


A427 road

The A427 road is a major road in the English Midlands. It connects the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and the A6 with the Northamptonshire town of Oundle and the A605.
History.
When first designated the A427 ran from a junction with the A45 southwest of Rugby through Rugby itself to Clifton upon Dunsmore crossing the A5 through Catthorpe (past what is now the Catthorpe Interchange between the M1 motorway, the M6 and the A14 road). It then passed through Swinford, South Kilworth, North Kilworth, Husbands Bosworth, Theddingworth, Lubenham and Market Harborough, and from there along its current route to Oundle. By 1976 the former A4114 road from Coventry via Lutterworth to North Kilworth had taken the designation A427 in place of the earlier route. By 2010 the A427 ended in Market Harborough.
A section of the original route SW of Rugby is now the A4071. From Rugby to South Kilworth it is the B5414, from South Kilworth and North Kilworth is no longer classified. The section from North Kilworth and Market Harborough is now part of the A4304. The 1976 route has now taken the B4027 and A4303 designation between Coventry and Market Harborough.
Route.
From West to East its route is:
Running through Corby, the A427 meets with the A6003 on the western edge of the town and it has a overlap with the A43 in the Weldon North Industrial Estate, where it is briefly dual carriageway.


A74 road

The A74, currently a road linking Glasgow to Viewpark in Scotland, also known historically as the Glasgow to Carlisle Road, was a major road in the United Kingdom, linking Glasgow in Scotland to Carlisle in the North West of England, passing through Clydesdale, Annandale and the Southern Uplands. A road in this area has existed since Roman Britain, and it was considered one of the most important roads in Scotland, being used as a regular mail service route.
The road received a substantial upgrade in the early 19th century under the direction of Thomas Telford, who made significant engineering improvements, including a new route over the Beattock Summit and the Metal Bridge just in England just south of the border. Engineering improvements continued throughout the century and into the 20th, and it became one of the first trunk roads in Britain in 1936. From the 1960s the road started to be replaced by a parallel motorway. The last remaining section of all-purpose road on Telford's original alignment, the so-called "Cumberland Gap" between Carlisle and Metal Bridge, was replaced by a motorway in 2008 after years of delays due to a breakdown in discussions between the English and Scottish parliaments.
The road was infamous for its allegedly high accident rate, being dubbed a "killer road", which exacerbated the need to provide an alternative motorway route. Several high-profile accidents occurred, most notoriously the debris of Pan Am Flight 103 in December 1988, which partially fell on the road near Lockerbie and caused several fatalities.
Route.
Original route.
The original route as classified by the Ministry of Transport was published as "Carlisle (Kingstown)–Gretna Green–Lockerbie–Crawford–Hamilton–Cambuslang–Glasgow". It started at the junction of Parkhouse Road and Kingstown Road to the north of Carlisle city centre, and followed a northwest route, crossing the River Esk at Metal Bridge and the Caledonian Railway at the Mossband Viaduct before crossing the Scottish border at the River Sark.
After passing through Gretna and Gretna Green, it followed the general line of the Caledonian railway toward Lockerbie and crossed the River Annan over a bridge at Johnstonebridge. It followed the Annan valley into a rural area away from any settlements as it crossed the Beattock Summit between the Annan and Clyde valleys towards Elvanfoot. This section is on a different alignment from the Roman Road, which, as might be expected, took a straighter route across more mountainous terrain, particularly at the Roman signal station near Black Fell.
At Elvanfoot it crossed the River Clyde on a span single-arch bridge, and continued to follow the Clyde Valley past the Roman Fort at Crawford towards Abington, where the Roman road to Edinburgh (now the A702) branched to the right. It left this sparsely populated section in the Southern Uplands and entered the Clydesdale communities of Lesmahagow, Kirkmuirhill and Larkhall, crossing the River Avon into Hamilton.
Beyond Hamilton, it followed the Glasgow Road north-west, crossing the Clyde at the Dalmarnock Bridge. It ended at the junction of Trongate and Gallowgate in the east end of Glasgow city centre. According to a summary in a report by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the length was .
Current route.
The original road has been largely downgraded and renumbered and now only one short stub remains in the Glasgow area and contains a remnant of a project from the 1930s that rerouted the road to run from Hamilton to Glasgow via Uddingston and the King's Bridge. According to contemporary Ordnance Survey mapping, it starts in the Gorbals and crosses the Clyde at the King's Bridge, to run through Glasgow Green, past the Celtic Park Football Stadium into the suburbs, running east as far as Powburn.
History.
19th century.
The A74 evolved from the Glasgow – Carlisle mail route. Originally, this followed the course of Roman roads, but by the early 19th century, this had become impractical as a fast through route for mail coaches. The problem had been exacerbated by the ineffective use of turnpike tolls, most of which consisted of little more than trying to fill potholes with stones. After an accident at a bridge crossing Evan Water, which killed two horses and destroyed a coach, the Post Office became fed up with trying to improve the route through the turnpike system and, considering it to be the one of the most important roads in Scotland, decided to seek alternative means to improve it. Thomas Telford stated that "the existing road is in such as ruinous state as to occasion much delay", and he managed to obtain a grant under the guise of the Commissioners of Highland Roads and Bridges, to design engineering improvements to the route.
Telford was particularly concerned about being able to reduce gradients and improve drainage on roads, and recommended an improved route of a width no less than 34 feet, the central 18 feet being metalled, and the remainder being two gravel verges. The route was surveyed by William Alexander Provis in 1814–15, and commenced construction in 1816. The project was completed in 1825 at a total cost of £50,000, and like the earlier route, it was tolled. While the various turnpike trusts retained control for a few sections, the vast majority was rebuilt under the direction of Telford. Eight new toll-houses were constructed – one of these, at Dinwoodie Lodge near Johnstonebridge still exists today, and became a Grade I Listed building in December 1988.
Notable engineering feats included taking the road over the Beattock Summit, construction of the original Metal Bridge just south of the Scottish Border in 1820, and carrying the road over Cartland Craigs by a 130-foot viaduct. According to author Frederick Mort, the Glasgow to Carlisle road "became a model for future engineers."
20th century.
In 1916, Telford's original metal bridge was replaced by a modern concrete structure at a cost of £16,000. A small section of the original bridge was housed in Tullie House Museum in Carlisle.
Roads started to be classified with route numbers in 1921, with the Glasgow – Carlisle road receiving the number A74, mostly following the route as designed by Telford. On 16 May 1936, the road was diverted away from Telford's route to run from Glasgow to Motherwell via Uddingston — it is a portion of this realignment that forms the modern A74 route within Glasgow. It became a trunk road when the act was first published in 1936. A contemporary report also suggested renumbering the entire A74, along with the A82 as an extension of the A6 to Inverness, matching the London — Carlisle — Glasgow — Inverness trunk road as used in internal Ministry of Transport documentation, but this was rejected as the cost of replacing signs would be prohibitively expensive.
Due to its continued status as one of the most important connections between England and Scotland, talks began in the 1950s to improve its quality to cater for modern motor traffic. While a section of dual carriageway had already been completed before World War II, Tom Steele, then MP for Lanark, was particularly keen on the entire route from Carlisle to Uddingston being dualled before the mid-1960s. On 2 August 1956, he received a memo from the Secretary of State for Transport about the matter, which stated "the plan is to complete the conversion in about 10 years. When this work is completed there will be a dual carriageway leading from the Border to Uddingston with no built-up areas along its length."
By the early 1960s, these plans had changed to consider building a motorway in preference for the more straightforward online upgrades. The original section of the M74 in the mid-1960s ran from just north of Kirkmuirhill in South Lanarkshire, connecting to an earlier dual carriageway bypass, to Hamilton. It was completed northwards in two stages, initially to Bothwell Bridge, and then Uddingston. In 1987, the then Secretary of State for Scotland, Malcolm Rifkind, announced the intention of completing the M74 from Glasgow to Carlisle. This commenced with a series of "fast track" road improvements, the initial two being between Abington and Millbank, then from Kirkpatrick Fleming to Gretna.
As of 2008, the A74(M) motorway extends southwards to the northern terminus of the M6, at the Scottish border, so that the two are now contiguous, and was extended northwards in the mid-1990s as far as the Glasgow suburb of Tollcross. In 2011 it was further extended to meet the M8. The parallel road which was the A74 has been mostly downgraded in two sections as the B7076 and B7078.
Cumberland Gap.
The Cumberland Gap (named after the historic county of Cumberland, now part of Cumbria) was the of A74 between the northern terminus of the M6 at Carlisle, and the south end of the A74(M) at the Scottish border. It existed as an isolated stub from 1992, when the A74 was improved to motorway standard around Gretna, to 2008, when the M6 was extended northwards. Scottish ministers had previously expressed disappointment at slow progress over the border; in 1964, Dumfries MP Hector Monro stated "there is widespread feeling in the south of Scotland that the advance south over the Border of this important new road is being delayed because England is dragging her feet."
When the M6 was complete around Carlisle in 1971, a new section of dual carriageway A74 was created to tie in with the original road running from Kingstown. The 1916 Metal Bridge also had to be replaced, in order to accommodate the increased traffic levels.
An offer from the Scottish Executive to build the road to meet the M6 was not accepted by the English Highways Agency.
This left a remnant of the old A74 as a stretch of two-lane dual carriageway between two long, three-lane motorways. Lex Gold, the director of the Scottish Confederation of British Industry, said "We are very disappointed indeed by this part of the programme revision. This will mean that for now and many years, road users will face a six-mile [9.6 km] dual carriageway between an excellent Scottish motorway and before the road widens for the existing M6." On 1 July 1999, following devolution, control of the A74 improvements passed over to the Scottish Parliament, meaning that they could only improve the route as far as the border.
After years of political battles between the English Highways Agency and the Scottish Executive, followed by a lengthy design and public enquiry phase, the "M6 Motorway Extension Carlisle to Guards Mill" became part of the government's targeted plan of improvements in 2002, with the intention to start work around 2005–06 at a cost of £65 million. Due to delays with the G8 Conference in 2005, construction work started on 25 July 2006, and included a replacement for the 1971 Metal Bridge, and a new VOSA testing site. The new stretch of road was officially opened by Lord Adonis on 5 December 2008, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the first motorway in the UK, the Preston Bypass, now also part of the M6. It subsequently became one of the finalists for the Prime Minister's Award for Better Public Building (losing to Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College).
Safety and accidents.
The A74 drew regular criticism over its perceived lack of safety. Some motorists had criticised the A74 as being a "killer road" due to its perceived high number of accidents. MPs, however, were keen to stress that the rate of accidents was no different from any other road of comparable traffic size. In 1976, Frank McElhone, then the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, stated that "the A74 has gained a bad reputation. Whether this is justified in comparison with other roads is to some extent a matter of opinion."
By the 1970s, following completion of the M6 to north of Carlisle, the remaining all-purpose section of the A74 was becoming increasingly outdated and unsafe, and so a special speed limit of ( for HGVs) was imposed. Hector Monro MP was particularly concerned about the speed of heavy goods vehicles along the road, and wanted to erect signs reminding lorry drivers of what the correct limit for that class of vehicle was. He claimed that they did not realise they were driving on an all-purpose route and ignored the different speed limits.
On 16 June 1975, an articulated lorry travelling southbound in heavy rain crossed the central reserve of the A74 near Beattock, hitting a coach that was travelling northbound. Ten passengers travelling in the coach were killed, including the driver, and twenty were seriously injured. Since the accident involved traversing a grass-covered central reserve, concerns were raised about retrofitting crash barriers along the entirety of the road.
On 22 December 2004, a major road accident occurred on the Cumberland Gap section of the A74 near Metal Bridge, after high winds tipped a lorry travelling southbound onto the opposite carriageway, causing it to collide with two other goods vehicles. Because one of the lorries carried chemicals, the entire road had to be shut for 24 hours, causing widespread congestion across the area. David Maclean, MP for Penrith and The Border, said "I'm fed up nagging about the Cumberland gap", adding "I know the government considers railways to be a higher priority, but Cumbria cannot survive without decent roads."
In August 2008, when the A74 was still an all-purpose road across the Cumberland Gap, the Highways Agency took out a special order to ban cyclists and pedestrians from the route, advising them to use the A7 to Longtown instead. Despite warning signs for cyclists being erected, traffic officer Glenn Lamont still found that "some cyclists are ignoring this and with the roadworks and contra flow in place there is a really high risk of an accident".
Pan Am Flight 103.
In December 1988, the A74 around Lockerbie received international media attention, when Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by an explosive device above the town, scattering debris around the local area. The wing section of the aircraft landed in Sherwood Crescent, which runs parallel to what was then the A74 Lockerbie Bypass, destroying houses and striking several vehicles. According to eyewitness reports, the resulting fires caused cars to be set alight on the road, and took "a huge bite out of the southbound lane".
In 1994, the Prime Minister, John Major, said the government would take civil action against Pan Am for the damage caused to the A74. He stressed the action was concerned with negligence by the company over its aircraft and had no connection with the ongoing investigation of terrorism.
See also.
A74(M) and M74 motorways, which have largely replaced the A74


List of Velocette motorcycles

The following is a list of motorcycles manufactured by Velocette, which ran from 1904 to 1971.


A382 road

The A382 is a road in South West England, connecting Newton Abbot to the A38, then to Bovey Tracey and on through Moretonhampstead to the A30.
Route.
The road starts in Newton Abbot at the junction with the A381, continuing out through the town, past the connection to the A383 which links to the A38 southbound.
It continues past Stover School, Stover Country Park and the Newton Abbot branch of Trago Mills before arriving at the junction with the A38, known as Drumbridges. From the A38 roundabout, the road continues in a straight line for 2 km, known locally as the "Bovey Straight" across Bovey Heath, with Heathfield on the east and Great Plantation on the west towards Bovey Tracey.
The road used to go through the centre of Bovey Tracey, but since 1987 it has bypassed the town, following part of the route of the old Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway line, from where that line crossed the road near the former Bovey Tracey Pottery to just north of the junction with the B3387 road to Widecombe-in-the-Moor and Haytor. The former Bovey railway station was retained at the side of the road and is now a heritage centre.
The bypass continues on a northerly route west of the town until it joins the original winding road which follows the valley of the Wray Brook. It passes the former Hawkmoor County Sanatorium and the village of Lustleigh before arriving in the town of Moretonhampstead where the B3212 heads towards Postbridge and Princetown in one direction and towards Exeter in the other.
From here, the A382 continues north-west, through the small settlements of Easton and Sandypark, eventually arriving at Whiddon Down, where there is a bypass around the village, before the road joins up with the A30 road at a recent junction which was completed in 2006 which was formerly a roundabout
Accidents and deaths.
The A382 saw five fatal accidents between 1999 and 2010, two resulting in the death of a car driver, and three in the death of a motorcyclist. The road carries warning signs specifically related to motorcycle accidents, indicating 13 accidents over 3 years between Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead.


Premier Motorcycles

Premier Motorcycles were British motorcycles manufactured by a business founded as a bicycle manufacturer by W. H. Herbert and William Hillman in 1876. Their "Hillman and Herbert Cycle Company" was renamed "Premier Cycle Co." in 1891.
White & Poppe engine.
Their first motorcycle was produced in 1908, with a White & Poppe side-valve engine and Chater-Lea front forks. They made their first V-twin in 1909, followed by a 499 cc single-cylinder machine in 1910.
The business changed its name to "The Premier Cycle Company (Coventry Premier Ltd.)" in 1914.
After the First World War bicycle or motorcycle production was not resumed and the cyclecar business was acquired by Singer Motors in 1921 although Premier motorcycles were produced under licence in Czechoslovakia throughout the 1930s.
References.


BSA Gold Star 250


B954 road

The B954 road is a public highway in Angus, Scotland which generally runs north to south, connecting the settlement of Dykends to the northwestern part of the city of Dundee. The road runs near the Meigle Museum, where a collection of Pictish stones is exhibited, and somewhat to the west of the Eassie Stone, a Pictish stone dating to about 600 AD. The road has been a subject of public controversy, having undergone debate over its speed limit; in particular, a speed limit of 30 to 40 miles per hour was considered to protect pedestrian safety, particularly for children crossing the highway. The proposal was not adopted at the 16 September 2008 meeting.


Sunbeam S7 and S8

The Sunbeam S7 and S8 are British motorcycles designed by Erling Poppe with styling loosely based on the BMW R75 designs that were acquired as war reparations by BSA (full rights to the Sunbeam brand had been acquired from AMC in 1943).
Built in Redditch, the unusual engine layout was similar to that of a car. The engine was a longitudinally mounted inline vertical OHC 500 cc twin based on an experimental 1932 BSA design (the Line-Ahead-Twin - LAT) with coil ignition and wet sump lubrication which, through a dry clutch, drove a shaft drive to the rear wheel. The inline engine made this technologically feasible—horizontally-opposed ("flat") twin engines on BMW motorcycles had already used shaft drives following the system employed by the four cylinder Nimbus since 1918. The early S7 was expensive and over engineered, which is why it is now the most sought-after and commands a premium over the S7 De Luxe and the S8, which were produced with fewer features to reduce costs, while retaining many of the innovative parts of the early Sunbeam and updating some ideas.
Models.
Three models were produced, the S7, S7 "de luxe" and the S8. All three were very expensive with only modest performance resulting in low sales. The original model was the S7 (the "Tourer") (2,104 produced from 1946 to 1948), in 1949 the S7 was updated to become the S7 de luxe (5,554 produced) and the S8 (8,530 produced). Both had new cylinder linings, redesigned frames and increased oil capacity. The lighter S8 was sold as a "sportier" model with a top speed of . It also had new (BSA) forks, a cast aluminium silencer and chromed wheels (with narrower tyres to replace the 'balloon' tyres which had led to uncertain handling at speed). S9 and S10 models were planned but never made as BSA decided to concentrate on the more traditional twins.
Another "sports" model was also tested but never put into production. This had a much higher compression ratio with a different OHC design but was never sold, reputedly because of the undampened front fork system which affected handling. There were also trials with a rigid version for a cheaper model but this design was also abandoned.
The original S7 was produced in black. The S7 de luxe came in either "Mist Green" or black and the S8 in "Silver Grey" or black. For export abroad BSA would supply Sunbeams in any BSA colour.
Design problems.
Erling Poppe’s design was originally based on a captured BMW R75 but so soon after the end of the war BSA did not want the S series to look too "German", so an in-line OHC parallel twin was designed instead of a flat twin "across the frame". Serious problems with vibration made the new Sunbeam bikes uncomfortable to ride and the initial production originally sent to South Africa was recalled. The excessive vibration was cured by mounting the engine on two bonded rubber engine mounts.
The in-line engine was inherently suitable for shaft drive, and BMW-style bevel gears would have been ideal. However, having inherited some worm-gear machinery from the Lanchester Motor Company, BSA opted to specify worm drive rather than bevel gears. Reputedly this created problems with the shaft drive, as the gears tended to strip under power. It is said that Sunbeam's "solution" to this was to reduce the power to , which did nothing to help post-war sales.
Owners clubs.
The Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club is one of the longest established in the UK and was founded in July 1924 at the London showrooms of John Marston Ltd in Holborn Viaduct who made the Sunbeam motorcycles in their factory at Wolverhampton. The Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club is, however, a sporting motorcycle club that organises trials and vintage bike rallies and runs and the "owners section" was just a small part of it. When Sunbeam production ended BSA sold the remaining stock of parts to Stewart Engineering. Bob and Chines Stewart were longtime fans of the Sunbeam and for a time members of the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club. In 1963 they, along with other enthusiasts, broke away from the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club and formed the Sunbeam Owners Fellowship (SOF) to support owners of an S7 or S8 with any problems. A good number of Sunbeams motorcycles survive in perfect working order and many owners have been fellows of the SOF since its inception, having owned their Sunbeam since bought new or second hand in the 1960s.
A web-based owners club has been created.


Salmons and Son


Park and ride bus services in the United Kingdom

Park and ride bus services in the United Kingdom are bus services designed to provide intermodal passenger journeys between a private mode of transport and a shared mode bus. The common model of bus based park and ride model is transfer from a private car to a public transport bus, although schemes may also be used by pedestrians and cyclists. "Park and ride" commonly refers to permanent schemes operated as part of the public transport system, for onward transport from a permanent car park to an urban centre. ‘Park and ride bus’ can also be used to describe temporary and seasonal schemes, services operated for private or specialised users, and services that do not necessarily serve an urban centre. Bus services can be permanent, seasonal, or only operate on specific days of the week, or for specific events.
Permanent public transport based park and ride sites are predominantly constructed, administered and financially supported by one or more of the local public authorities, although partial private funding also occurs, usually in partnership. Since bus deregulation in 1986, the actual bus service for particular schemes is currently operated by one or more private bus operators, or stand-alone companies, with the contract to operate the bus service being put out to commercial tender. An exception is Northern Ireland, where the state concern Translink promotes and operates all public transport park and ride schemes.
Schemes are often specially marketed with a specific brand separately from other standard local bus services. This is sometimes not necessarily using the name park and ride. Public transport schemes mostly operate at a net loss, with the budgetary cost justified by the reduction in traffic congestion and reduced need for central parking spaces. Generally, the car parking is free, with revenue for the scheme being achieved through fares or travel passes taken by the bus operator. Initially heavily lobbied for by the environmentalists, increasingly the net benefits of park and ride schemes to the environment have been questioned in studies examining the effect of schemes on overall vehicle mileages and passenger travelling behaviour.
Implementation of public transport park and ride bus services in the UK accelerated through the 1980s and 1990s, although some schemes have failed or been scaled back due to lack of use. Permanent schemes range in size from an allocated area with provision of less than 10 cars, to multiple dedicated sites catering in total for nearly 5,000 cars. Schemes predominantly serve a single town or smaller city, while rail based mode, where it exists, is the predominant implementation for the larger metropolitan areas. Larger regional bus schemes exist, such as at Ferrytoll in Fife, Scotland and in Northern Ireland.
History.
Permanent bus based park and ride schemes are most often found in the UK in historical towns and cities where the narrow streets mean traffic congestion hits hardest and streets cannot easily be widened. An example is Oxford, which operated the first scheme in the UK, initially with an experimental service operating part-time from a motel on the A34 in the 1960s, and then on a full-time basis from 1973. Large scale adoption in other towns then continued from the 1980s with increased car ownership. As of 2005 there were 92 park and ride sites across 40 locations in England
Permanent schemes.
Implementation.
Permanent park and ride services are predominantly intended for used by car driving commuters and their passengers, with shoppers being the next largest user, although it is also often targeted at day-trippers and tourists visiting by car. As well as car drivers, park and ride bus services may also be used by pedestrians and cyclists. Several schemes offer bicycle lockers to allow use of the bus by cyclists. For foot passengers, although the journey may be quicker than regular bus services, the fares may also be higher.
For ease of access by car, a common arrangement for a permanent park and ride is a site or sites located on the outskirts or outer suburbs of a town or city, with the aim of providing a short onward trip by bus into the centre. Sites are usually located near to the major approach routes to the centre, usually near to motorway junctions or beside the main arterial routes. Some sites, such as the village on Ellon, Aberdeenshire, are located some distance from the central destination, but the site is located on a main arterial approach route. Larger regional sites exist, with longer journey times, such as Ferrytoll in Fife, Scotland. In larger cities, space permitting, sites may also be located at transport hubs or interchange stations further inside the urban area.
As well as stand alone sites, permanent daily public transport park and ride car parks may also be operated adjacent to or as part of the car park of another facility, such as Basingstoke (a Leisure Park), Doncaster (a cinema) and Derby (a retail and leisure park). Some sites utilise football stadium car parks, as they are not usually in use on working daytimes, as happens in Brighton, Reading, Dorchester and Derby; and also horse racecourses as in Leicester and Cheltenham, although these services may not be available on match/race days.
Most schemes do not allow for overnight parking and cater for daytime and early evening usage. Users who miss the last bus may often find their cars locked in, requiring the calling of an emergency number. Some schemes have addressed the issue of the "last bus" by using other services, such as in High Wycombe where tickets are valid on standard bus services passing the car park after the dedicated service has stopped running, although the site gates have to be left open. Other schemes are open late on designated late shopping nights (often a Thursday).
Many sites are operational five or more days a week. Some schemes are often supplemented using additional sites with car parks normally used for other purposes during the week that only operate as park and ride on a Saturday or Sunday. These sites include the local County Hall or Town Hall car parks, or University car parks. Examples include Southport and Leicester.
As of 2008, permanent bus based park and ride schemes are generally implemented in small to medium-sized towns and cities, with larger conurbations such as London, Birmingham and Manchester operating rail-based schemes. Edinburgh was the largest city with a comprehensive bus-based park and ride scheme, until replaced in part with the Edinburgh Trams network in 2014. In Manchester, the local transport authority, Transport for Greater Manchester, does not believe that park and ride systems achieve the main aim of reducing car based mileage, stating that when implemented, most passengers are drawn from people who would otherwise have used existing bus services, or cycle/walk, with only 1 in 5 spaces on average being filled by people who did not previously use public transport.
Site facilities.
Purpose built park and ride sites generally consist of a car park and adjacent bus boarding facility within walking distance. Large sites may feature covered multi-story parking, and covered waiting areas or passenger facilities akin to a small bus station. Bigger car parks may feature more than one bus stop to limit the distance users have to walk. Smaller sites may feature just a bus stop and cabin for an attendant. For sites used as bus termini, the site may also feature bus stands.
The location of park and ride sites is usually predominantly sign posted to assist car drivers, and sometimes there may exist electronic signs giving current information about parking availability.
Many sites feature a controlled perimeter, entry/exit barriers, CCTV and supervision by an attendant.
Planning issues.
The location of sites is often restricted due to planning issues and land availability. The location of potential sites may conflict with the desires of other development aims. Some local authorities introduce new schemes as part of wider developments by stipulating as part of the planning permission approval that a private developer may only proceed if they include a suitable scheme in their development proposals.
The advent of Local transport plans enacted by the Transport Act 2000 in England has allowed park and ride usage to be a material consideration in planning matters in England.
In 2005 the Campaign to Protect Rural England called for a review of park and ride development expressing concern too many sites were being built on green belt land.
In 2008, a scheme proposed by North Yorkshire County Council for a site for Whitby on green land within the North York Moors National Park was rejected by the park planning committee on grounds of its proposed location, within the park, despite claims by the borough council that no suitable alternatives existed, and traffic was an increasing issue in the town which threatened the prospects of economic growth.
In 2008 in Truro, Cornwall, a scheme was launched aiming to be complementary and integrated with the rural environment, marketed as a "park for cars" rather than a car park, with features such as natural building materials, solar power and waste water management
Bus operators and vehicles.
To comply with UK competition legislation, contracts for the bus operation aspect of schemes supported by local authority finance must be put out to commercial tender, although minimum quality conditions are often stipulated as part of the contract. Some bus operating contracts are awarded on the basis of a formal Quality Contract between authority and operator. For reasons of practicality and logistics, the winning bus operator is usually an operator already based in the local area.
Dedicated park and ride bus services are usually provided using public transport buses. Depending on the passenger numbers, service may be provide with a combination of midibuses, single-decker buses, double-decker buses. In some schemes such as in Bristol (Bath Road), articulated buses are used. As of 2008, the Optare Solo is a common type of midibus found on smaller schemes.
As with standard public transport bus services in the UK, as of 2008 the responsibility for operation of the buses for park and ride schemes is dominated by the major transport groups, either in part or full, with FirstGroup involved with 12 locations, Arriva and Stagecoach Group involved in 7, Go-Ahead Group in 6. Despite this, operation by small groups or independent operators forms a significant aspect of UK park and ride operations, such as Johnsons Excelbus (Stratford upon Avon) and Bennets Coaches (Cheltenham). Some municipal bus companies operate their town's service, such as Edinburgh (Lothian Buses), Nottingham (Nottingham City Transport), Swindon (Thamesdown Transport), Reading (Reading Buses), although the November 2008 transfer of the Ipswich operation from Ipswich Buses to First Eastern Counties demonstrated that council owned bus companies are not necessarily given favourable status in the awarding of council park and ride contracts.
For large schemes, park and ride bus fleets used are usually of a higher and/or different specification to the predominant public transport bus fleet. Fleets are often purchased new in whole or in part for the award of a new contract, meaning low floor buses are increasingly common.
In the Plymouth scheme, the buses are of an extremely high specification compared to regular public transport buses, being equipped with high backed leather seating, television screens, and individual radio/CD sockets for each seat.
While dedicated park and ride fleets generally contain some of the newest vehicles in a bus company's fleet, in some areas this does not occur, for example, the award winning operator in Derby, Trent Barton, defers operation of the park and ride to its Wellglade group sister company Notts & Derby, using vehicles older than that of the Trent Barton main fleet.
Success and failure.
While most schemes are hailed as a success, and see additions to site/spaces or increase in vehicle size over time, some encounter lower than anticipated passenger numbers and need to be withdrawn/modified. In Gloucester, a two route scheme existing in 2003 was required to be scaled back and rationalised into one through service after passenger numbers fell, putting one service in doubt. In February 2008 a scheme in Kidderminster was closed down despite objections, as it was costing £1,000 a week to operate, although it was later said the scheme had been introduced as a temporary measure while building works occurred, that was allowed to continue permanently. In 2008 Sefton Council considered rerouting the bus service of Southport's third scheme after initial passenger projections were not met, although comparison was made to the slow start but eventual success of the first site. In January 2009 the service was re-routed to attract uses from the town's main hospital and college. In November 2009, Sefton Council announced the third site would be 'mothballed' for an indefinite period of time due to poor usuage. In 2007, the long-standing Maidstone scheme was reduced from four sites to three due to a reduction in usage of a centrally located site causing a budget shortfall for the council.
A service operated by Go North East from the MetroCentre shopping centre coach park non-stop to Newcastle upon Tyne which operated on a model of pre-booked parking was abandoned after a year in September 2008 due to lack of use, replaced by a conventional service with more intermediate stops.
Both Park & Ride sites in Worcester were closed in September 2014 as part of the wider local authority budget cuts at the time. The Perdiswell site opened in 2001 and at its peak in 2008, 450,000 people used the site, however by 2013-14 usage fell to 274,000. The service was operated by Worcestershire County Council.
Bus service.
Onward bus services from a park and ride car park are provided with dedicated bus routes, the regular local bus service, or a combination of both. In busy or frequent schemes, the central bus stops may be sited separately from those used by other regular bus services. Sites already well served by or located on the existing bus network may feature no dedicated service at all. These services may employ no specific branding, but reference to 'park and ride' may exist on rollsigns and timetables. Park and ride sites may also be used as stops on longer distance coach services, although they are generally not available for use by private coach operators.
Dedicated routes are often operated point to point, running from the site to centre, and back, using the site as a bus terminus. Occasionally, through routes will run from one park and ride site to another, through the town or city centre, or to another suitable terminus such as a leisure centre. Routes may also call at multiple park and ride sites before commencing the onward journey to the destination.
Dedicated bus services can be operated as express bus services, running non-stop calling at only the car park and the central area. These services may also operate as limited stop express services, stopping also at any important intermediate locations such as hospitals, railway stations, transport interchanges, out of town shopping centres, suburban retail parks and other places that are likely to see a high number of prospective passengers. For example, Park and Ride in Truro stops at Truro College (which also includes Treliske Retail Park) the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Royal Cornwall Museum and Victoria Square in Truro's high street. In areas where there is less overlap between regular bus services, park and ride designated services may stop at every stop like a regular service, as in York, where the park and ride services are also part of the local bus network. Some express or dedicated services may extend beyond the parking site as regular services to outlying areas.
Funding and fares.
The majority of permanent park and ride schemes are supported by funding from the local authority, with investment for construction of the sites if included, or support for the operation of the bus services. Park and ride schemes rarely become financially self-sufficient even for just the operating costs, however most authorities cite the fact that profit is not the ultimate aim of schemes, rather the environmental benefits are what is being paid for. Some schemes where investment in a car park is not required can be funded fully commercially; the Stagecoach West Cheltenham Racecourse service is an example of a fully privately funded permanent service.
Authority involvement can be singular, or is often jointly between a borough and county council, such as in Bedford, or even as a cooperation between multiple public institutions as part of a wider regional transport initiative. Public budget provision for schemes is often combined with infrastructure and vehicle investment toward high quality bus priority schemes, such as the A638 Quality Bus Corridor for Doncaster or guided busway and bus rapid transit scheme investment.
Private companies often contribute additional funding where that company ultimately benefits from the scheme, either through increased custom or a reduction in employee parking needs. In High Wycombe, the scheme is part funded by a shopping centre and a local development partner, as well as the local council as it is integrated into the newly developed Cressex business park.
A portion of the ongoing funding of the operating costs of a park and ride scheme comes from the collection of fares from the users, although some schemes operate completely free to the user. While most fare paying schemes are operated on a free-parking, pay on the bus basis, some schemes charge for the parking, to offer a financial incentive to encourage carpooling to the car park for cars with more passengers. Examples of car based payment schemes are Norwich and Canterbury. In the Chester scheme, a 2008 proposal to move from a bus based to a car park based charging system was dropped due to public opposition
Specialist schemes.
As well as serving as general public transport to central areas, specialist permanent park and ride services also exist, catering for a more specific user travel need. These exist both as supplementary routes from permanent public sites, or operate from private car parks. These services may be still available to the general public, or be restricted to a specific user/customer, and may be publicly or privately funded or both.
Private user schemes marketed as park and ride include airport buses and other shuttle bus links where they transport passengers from a car park to a destination such as a hotel or conference centre.
NHS Trust supported routes link public park and ride sites to hospitals, such as in Nottingham (Medlink), Reading and Cheltenham, for the benefit of passengers and staff. In Bath, a demand responsive transport service has been combined with a park and ride to hospital shuttle.
Another specialist service is the transport of football spectators to football matches from public park and ride sites, such as in Southampton. These services may only be available to those with a match ticket. A football service is privately funded by Sunderland A.F.C. on match days from the Stadium of Light to Sunderland Enterprise Park.
Temporary schemes.
Some sites only become operational during a specific season, or for specific events, and as such may receive public or private financial support, or in the case of high usage, be self-funding. These ad-hoc
services may not feature a dedicated bus fleet, but rather are provided by drawing on buses from other duties. Temporary or seasonal services often use free buses, such as Weymouth, which uses existing public pay and display car parks.
Seasonal services occur in the summer to cater for tourists, such as Weymouth, or the Christmas period to cater for shoppers, such as Peterborough and Kingston.
Examples of services for specific events are Southampton (for the Boat Show) and Whitby (for the Whitby Regatta)
Marketing and liveries.
Some high-profile public authority backed schemes employ a common "park and ride" brand identity for their park and ride scheme, and project this brand commonly across a website, printed material, and even extending to the colour of the bus in an all-over livery. In a small number of cases, the branding concept does not use the "park and ride" moniker as the primary identity, opting for a different name, such as "Centre Shuttle" (Basingstoke), "Quicksilver Shuttle" (Leicester), "Taunton Flyer" and "Park for Truro".
Smaller schemes may not necessarily employ specific marketing or dedicated all-over liveries where the passenger revenue does not justify this, such as in Stoke and Scarborough, although the term "park and ride" is a near-universally accepted term that is still applied to these smaller schemes on timetables and/or non-overall livery route branding. This also occurs in busier schemes where other high-profile branding of local bus services exist, or the park and ride bus service is of the type that only consists of just another regular stop on the local services, rather than a dedicated shuttle type service, such as in Leeds and Nottingham.
Schemes will often be promoted in terms of being high quality, with bus drivers undergoing customer service training, and schemes attaining the government Charter Mark for excellence in public service quality, or the Park Mark award for implementing enhanced car park security features. Maidstone was the first scheme to obtain a Charter Mark.
All-over liveries are employed in single or multiple site schemes. Liveries often emphasise the green credentials of the scheme, such as Plymouth's cloud livery, or by using green as a base colour (Oxford, Winchester). Other schemes use a bold overall colour scheme to reinforce the brand with publicity material, such as the Chelmsford (jet-black), Maidstone (yellow), Canterbury (Silver base with green piping and decals), York (All-over silver with large red City crests), Basingstoke (purple) and Ipswich (pink), coordinated with the colours used in a website/publications. In some multiple site schemes, the all-over livery aspect is often extended to a distinct livery for each route/group of routes, such as the multi-colour coded schemes of Swansea, Norwich and Cambridge.
At peak times, standard liveried buses from the operator's main fleet may also supplement the service, or as replacement cover in the event of a dedicated vehicle's failure.
Locations.
Ferrytoll.
As well as the Edinburgh council schemes, a regional scheme exists in Scotland in the form of a large site in south Fife, designated the Ferrytoll park and ride. It does not have a dedicated service, but rather a large number of regional services are coordinated through the site, serving as a park and ride service south to Edinburgh, and as an important intermediate stop for inter-urban and long-distance services north into Fife and Dundee. The southern park and ride section aims to relieve the congested Forth Bridge road crossing.
Northern Ireland.
In Northern Ireland, bus based park and ride is organised on a regional basis by Translink. Belfast and other towns and cities are served by various sites, with bus services operated by Ulsterbus with their local bus services, and their "Goldlink" interurban branded services. Unlike in the rest of the UK, several site in Northern Ireland are as small as 10 spaces up to around 300, with (as of 2008) 20 sites across Northern Ireland.
Wales.
Cardiff, the capital, currently operates 4 sites in north, south, east and west of the city. A scheme in Swansea, in the south west of the country, currently operates from 3 sites. The Mid Wales town of Aberystwyth also has its own scheme.


Cairnwell Pass

The Cairnwell Pass () is a mountain pass on the A93 road between Glen Shee, Perthshire, and Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in the Scottish Highlands. The border between the two counties crosses the summit of the pass. With a summit altitude of 670 m (2199 ft), the Cairnwell Pass is the highest main road in the United Kingdom, and at the summit is the Glenshee Ski Centre, Scotland's largest and oldest ski centre. Historically, the pass was a drover's route from the Lowlands to the Highlands. The road is often blocked by snow in the winter, with snow gates at Braemar, at the summit (south of the Ski Centre), and at the Spittal of Glenshee.
 south of the summit is the Devil's Elbow, a notorious double-hairpin bend. The often-quoted gradient of 33 percent (1 in 3) is a myth: in reality it is no more than 1 in 6 (17%). The double bend can be seen clearly on Taylor & Skinner's map of 1776, with the 1749 military road already bypassed. The modern road bypasses the hairpin bends, but the old road still exists and its route can be walked, or carefully cycled.


A4076 road

The A4076 is a long, primary trunk road in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The A4076 begins at the Salutation Square roundabout junction with the A40 by Pembrokeshire County Hall, then bypasses Haverfordwest to the southeast and continues south to the oil refineries, now converted into petroleum storage and distribution terminals, at Milford Haven.
Other main settlements from north to south are:


Matchless G50

The Matchless G50 is an historic racing British motorcycle made by Associated Motorcycles (AMC) at the former Matchless works in Plumstead, London. Developed in 1958 from the 350 cc AJS 7R, but with the engine capacity increased to 500 cc, 180 G50s were built in the next four years. Although less powerful than its main competitor the Norton Manx the G50 proved highly competitive at three hundred pounds and was faster round bends. If success is measured by longevity then this is the most successful Matchless motorcycle, and high specification replicas are still being produced to this day, although financial problems at AMC ended production in 1963.
The G50 CSR.
In 1963, the AMA decided that the G50 should not be allowed to race in the USA as it was not based on a production street bike. Matchless solved the problem by creating a limited-production, street-legal G50 CSR, by fitting the G50 engine into the G80CS Scrambler frame.
The designation "CSR" "In AMC parlance stood for "Competition Sprung Roadster""[Bacon Roy, AJS and Matchless postwar twins 1948-1969, page 39, Niton publishing, ], Competition always referring to Scrambles in AMC speak. "This suffix[CSR] was first used in 1958. Earlier, competition[scrambles] models with no rear suspension were simply stamped "C". Later models with rear suspension were given the identification "CS". This was short for "competition sprung". When road versions were introduced,in 1958, the R was added. Hence, CSR means "competition sprung roadster". but they quickly got called the "Coffee Shop racer".. It later became known as the "Golden Eagle" after the name was used in advertising (due to the gold finish of the engine casings).
There were just two colour options - bright blue with a tan seat or bright red and black with a black seat.
Seeley Condor G50.
Financial problems at AMC ended production in 1963 and all the tooling and spares were sold to sidecar Grand Prix racer Colin Seeley in 1966. Seeley went on to develop the engine and made his own custom frames to produce a number of G50 'specials' some of which were known as the called the Seeley Condor. These exclusive motorcycles continue to be hand built to this day to individual customer specifications by TGA Ltd, now based in northern France. As well as building motorcycles from new parts, TGA also convert secondhand racing motorcycles for road use.
Seeley G50Mk2.
The Seeley G50Mk2 racing motorcycles built by TGA Ltd are high specification with a Titchmarsh chassis, Walmsley G50 motor, 6 speed PGT gearbox and lightweight fairing.
George Beale G50 replicas.
Former Isle of Man TT winner George Beale set up George Beale Motorcycles in Coleorton, Leicestershire to make a range of replica motorcycles, including Matchless G50 racing motorcycles to a high specification which includes a special lightweight frame and swing arm, Ceriani forks and a magnesium six speed gear box with lightweight clutch.


Roads in Northern Ireland

The main roads in Northern Ireland, which connect well with those in the Republic of Ireland, are signed "M"/"A"/"B" as in Great Britain. Whereas the roads in Great Britain are numbered according to a zonal system, there is no available explanation for the allocation of road numbers in Northern Ireland, though their numbering is separate from the system in England, Scotland and Wales.
In Northern Ireland, Transport NI is responsible for all of roads. Road users also have the Highway Code for Northern Ireland, which provide guidance on the legal aspects of driving on Northern Ireland's roads.
Motorways.
The most important roads are motorways, designated by the letter "M". The motorway network is focused on Belfast. Legal authority for motorways existed in the Special Roads Act of 1963 similar to that in the Special Roads Act 1949 in Great Britain. The first motorway to open was the M1 motorway, though it did so under temporary powers until the Special Roads Act had been passed. Work on the motorways continued until the 1970s when the oil crisis and The Troubles both intervened causing the abandonment of many schemes. The M3 was the final motorway scheme in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom in its entirety to open.
"A" roads.
The next most important roads are designated with the prefix "A" and a one-, two- or three-digit number.
"B" roads.
Less important roads are indicated with the prefix "B" and a one-, two- or three- digit number.
"C" roads.
Minor roads can be indicated with the prefix "C" and a one-, two- or three- digit number, though it is very rare to see these marked on signposts or Ordnance Survey maps
Euro Routes.
Though unsignposted, the following Euro Routes include sections of roads in Northern Ireland:


Bradley Smith (motorcyclist)

Bradley Smith (born 28 November 1990) is a British motorcycle racer, contracted to Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as a development/test/replacement rider in the MotoGP class of the World Championship.
He won the Suzuka 8 Hours in 2015, with Yamaha teammates Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Pol Espargaró.
Smith is the only rider to have taken a podium in all four classes of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, with top-three finishes in the pre-Moto3 125cc class, Moto2 class, MotoGP class and MotoE World Cup.
Smith had a long association with the French Tech3 team, riding for six seasons, two in Moto2 class and four in MotoGP using factory-supported Yamaha YZR-M1 machines.
Career.
Early career.
Born in Oxford, Oxfordshire, Smith's father raced in Motocross, and the family owned an open practice track. Smith got his first motocross bike aged six.
Smith applied for selection to the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) academy for young racers, but was never chosen. He spent a year in 2004 aged 13 competing in Aprilia Superteens competition, finishing fourth behind three ACU Academy riders. In January 2005 he was asked to compete for the year in the Spanish 125cc championship as part of the MOTO GP Academy, winning the last three races ending the year 2nd just one point behind the champion.
125cc World Championship.
For 2006, he joined the Repsol Honda 125cc Grand Prix World Championship squad, managed by Alberto Puig finishing 19th overall and rookie of the year, with a best result of 8th place in Motegi.
Remaining with the team in 2007, he took a first podium with third place at Le Mans. Nine more top-10 finishes left him 10th overall.
Smith signed with the Polaris World Aprilia team for the 2008 season. He secured his first pole position at the opening round of the season at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar on 8 March, but suffered a technical problem while leading. A number of midseason injuries affected him, but he scored podium finishes at Jerez and Le Mans (after briefly leading the five-lap sprint required by a red flag for rain). He led at both Assen and Sachsenring, but finished off the podium in both. He ended the season sixth overall, with three poles and four podium finishes but no victory.
For the 2009 season, Smith signed for Jorge Martínez's Bancaja Aspar Team to continue to ride an Aprilia, alongside Julian Simon. The deal also included an option to race in 250s for the team in 2010. Smith had almost signed for the team in 2008, before signing for Polarisworld.
Smith won his first ever Grand Prix with a dominant performance at Jerez in May 2009. Smith's first Pole Position of the season came at Mugello in which he scored his second Grand Prix victory after a brilliant fight against Nicolás Terol and Julian Simon. This race put Smith in the lead of the Championship with 74.5 points, just 3.5 points ahead of Simon. However, Simon hit form and ultimately won the title. Smith finished second to his teammate in the last three races of the season, losing the lead on the final lap in two of them. He ultimately finished as series runner-up.
In August 2009, Smith stated his ambition to move up to the new Moto2 class with the Aspar team, but the team's two seats were given to Julian Simon and Mike Di Meglio instead. In November 2009, Smith agreed a deal to remain with the Aspar team in the 125cc class for 2010 alongside Nicolas Terol.
Smith was a favourite for the title in 2010, after finishing runner-up in 2009, however the year was dominated by Spanish trio Marc Márquez, Pol Espargaró and Nicolás Terol. Smith did however manage three pole positions and six podiums, including a win at the final round of the season in Valencia on the way to fourth place in championship standings.
Moto2 World Championship.
Tech3 (2011–2012).
After the 2010 Portuguese Grand Prix, it was announced that Smith would be competing in Moto2 in 2011, racing for the Tech3 team, alongside one of the riders that had denied him a Moto2 move a year previous, Mike Di Meglio. On 19 September 2011, it was announced that Smith had signed a three-year contract with Tech 3 that would see him remain in Moto2 in 2012, before moving to MotoGP in .
Smith started his debut campaign in the Moto2 class well with seventh in his first race before following it up with a fourth-place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix. Smith scored his first podium with a second-place finish in his home Grand Prix at Silverstone, and he followed it up with two third-place finishes at the next two rounds. Smith finished his début season in the class, in seventh place in the final championship standings.
Smith's 2012 season was full of consistent points-scoring finishes, scoring points in all bar two races, but without a podium. His best result was a fourth-place finish at the Italian Grand Prix, and he eventually finished the season in ninth place in the final championship standings.
Petronas Sprinta Racing (2019).
Smith replaced Khairul Idham Pawi at his home grand prix in Silverstone, as one of several replacement riders following the Malaysian's withdrawal from the season due to injury.
MotoGP World Championship.
Monster Yamaha Tech3 (2013–2016).
Smith was promoted to the premier class aboard a Yamaha for Tech3, with teammate Cal Crutchlow. He concluded the season in 10th place, with 116 points, running consistently within the top ten riders in most races. His best result were a trio of sixth places obtained in the Catalan, German and Australian Grands Prix.
In 2014, Smith continued to race with Tech3, with teammate Pol Espargaró. He finished fifth in the second round of the championship, the Grand Prix of the Americas in Texas, achieving his best result at that time. Later in the season, Smith achieved his first podium in MotoGP at Phillip Island, finishing in third place; he took advantage of late-race crashes for Cal Crutchlow and Espargaró to move into the position. He also received a penalty point from Race Direction, after he was deemed to have overtaken another rider under yellow flags. He finished the season in 8th place.
Remaining with Tech3 for the season, Smith finished each of the first twelve races in the top ten placings, with two fifth-place finishes being his best results. At the San Marino Grand Prix, Smith achieved his best MotoGP result with a second-place finish despite staying out on track on slick tyres as rain was falling – he fell as low as 21st in the race order before riding through the field. With Scott Redding finishing third, the duo became the first pair of British riders to finish on a premier class podium since Barry Sheene and Tom Herron did so at the Venezuelan Grand Prix in . With 181 points, Smith achieved his (as of February 2020) career-best finish in the MotoGP class in 6th place, best of all non-factory riders.
In 2016 a difficult start to the season culminated in a mid-season injury in practice at the Czech round. Though he started the Czech race before a mechanical retirement, Smith subsequently missed the next 3 rounds due to the sustained injury, being replaced by superbike rider Alex Lowes. Smith was relegated to just 17th place in the rider's championship.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2017–2018).
In March 2016, Smith was confirmed as the first-signed rider for the new KTM works entry to the championship. He was later joined by his long-time Tech3 teammate Espargaró.
The 2017 season proved difficult but positive for Smith and the new constructor, finishing third-to-last of all regular riders and well behind his teammate, but achieving sufficient points to finish ahead of Aprilia in the constructors' championship and 10th of 12 in the teams' championship.
2018 showed slight improvement for Smith as he climbed to 18th place in the championship with 38 points, though well behind teammate Espargaró, despite having fewer retirements on the season.
Aprilia Racing Team Gresini (2019–present).
With the high-profile signing of Johann Zarco at KTM, Smith was dropped by the factory team. He was quickly signed by Aprilia in a test rider role. Aprilia elected to enter Smith as a wildcard entry at four rounds: Qatar, Jerez, Catalunya, and Aragon. With 2 retirements, a 17th- and a 19th-place finish, he achieved 0 points in his wildcard entries.
MotoE World Cup.
One Energy Racing (2019).
For 2019, alongside his Aprilia test and wildcard rider duties, Smith was permitted to sign with One Energy Racing for the inaugural season of the MotoE World Cup. Of the six race season, Smith achieved four podiums and clinched second place in the standings with 88 points.