1938 Velocette MAC

1938 VELOCETTE MAC BACKGROUND
Velocette, while a relatively small motorcycle company, was always known for it innovative designs and premium quality. In the 1920s, when most engines were side-valves (flatheads) and only a few had OHVs, Velocette introduced it’s K-series (KSS and KTT, first as factory racers, then as production bikes in street trim. The problem was they were complex and expensive to build with their shaft-and-bevel-gear-driven OHC setup. So a new line of simpler, cheaper-to-build OHV bikes was rolled out, called the M-series. The first of these was the 250cc MOV in 1933, which was quickly enlarged to the 349cc (350) MAC, which was now capable of reaching 75 mph. These new M-series bikes sold well, at a lower price than the K-series bikes, and with a greater profit margin for Velocette. These M-series Velocettes became their best sellers by far over the years, with variants running all the way through to 1970. By the 1960s, this same basic engine had been punched out to 500cc and had turned into one of the hottest production singles on the planet, in the form of the Venom and the Thruxton. That means this basic engine, introduced in 1933, had remained in production through five decades! Few can make a claim like that.

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1938 Velocette MAC SPECIFICATIONS