Velocette 1932 KTT ex-Les Archer 348 cc 1 cyl OHC

Velocette 1932 KTT ex-Les Archer 348 cc OHC frame # KTL4238 engine # KTT 402

After the 1928 TT win the KTT was marketed as the first British “over the counter” racer. Thus began the production of a competitive racing motorcycle offered for sale for 25 years up to 1953. A total of 868 KTTs were built. Foot change was optional from 1929, a Velocette first, as the company claimed.

In 1932 the MK IV is introduced. It is fitted as standard with the new positive stop four speed gearbox which had previously been available as an option. A new cylinder head with improved combustion characteristics is employed, still cast in iron. In most other respects the MK IV is much as its predecessors with the braced Webb girder forks that are peculiar to the KTT. The majority of the rest of the cycle parts being shared by other machines in the range.

The KTT will become the most successful vintage and post-vintage racing machine of all time in private hands. The Goodman design is special in many ways: think of the very slim crankcase with the roller main bearings inside a line drawn from the wall of the cylinder. So no heavy castings, no lengthy crankshaft. Result is a velvet smooth and quiet engine. Steering and handling of these machines are excellent. The claimed power is about 35hp@5,800 rpm which would give a top speed of around 105 mph. The machine is relatively light, having a dry weight of 125 kg.

The machine we present has a highly interesting and well-documented history. The KTT Register shows that Velocette KTT MK IV with frame number 4238 and engine number KTT402 was sold on June 23, 1932 to motorcycle dealer Archer’s of Aldershot. The Archer family had run a motorcycle dealership in Aldershot, Hampshire, southwest of London, since 1923. The son and later owner of this motorcycle dealership, Les Archer, was a very well-known motorcycle racer in the 1930s, who was under contract with Velocette and achieved considerable success both on the Isle of Man and on other famous racetracks such as Brooklands.

What makes this machine special is that it’s the second KTT MK 4 produced and delivered by the factory, and that frame and engine numbers are still matching. (The gearbox is not original; KTT402 saw tough racing use, and in the 1930s it was perfectly normal for a gearbox to break down under high-performance conditions and simply be replaced.) Furthermore, the machine has a remarkable and successful racing history. Some highlights: Archer came in sixth on this machine on the 1932 Junior TT and won in July 1933 the Brooklands Grand Prix races in the 350 and 500 class, both on KTT402. One month later, during the Hutchinson 100 race at Brooklands, Les Archer broke the historic speed record of 100 mph on a British race track in the 350cc class with KTT402. For this, he received the British Motor Cycle Racing Club’s Mellano Trophy. In the 1960s Les Archer disposed of his racing machines and equipment and via Paul Beck KTT402 came to Germany around 1990 to become part of the collection of a German Velocette enthusiast and specialist. The history of this machine and Les Archer’s racing career are extensively documented in the accompanying literature.

This excellent KTT comes with aluminium bronze cylinder head, André steering damper, gauze screen, George Dance kneegrips, Amal TT carb, Lucas racing magneto and Dunlop Drilastic type saddle.