T143 1961 MATCHLESS G80CS A 1949 Matchless ad described its winged “M” logo as “The Symbol of Performance & Reliability.” Indeed, Matchless machines, such as this restored 1961 G80CS, were serious contenders in off- road competition, and especially American desert racing events. Matchless got its start as a bicycle manufacturer in 1878, when Henry Herbert Collier founded Collier & Sons in Plumstead, London. Those sons were Charlie and Harry, and by 1899, the company was tinkering with internal combustion engines, with the first Matchless machine being built in 1901. Soon after, Charlie Collier, in 1907, won the inaugural Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, or TT race, on a 423cc J.A.P.-powered Matchless. Matchless went on to construct its own engines, including singles and twins, and by the early 1930s, a pair of very unique powerplants with the 400cc Silver Arrow V-twin and the 600cc Silver Hawk V-4. The company eventually became Associated Motor Cycles, or AMC, and under that banner included makes such as AJS, Francis-Barnett, James, Norton and Sunbeam. The Matchless G80 500cc single was introduced in 1946, and by 1949 it had gained swingarm rear suspension. The basic OHV engine was continuously developed, and the G80CS was introduced in 1951. By 1956, the 497cc G80CS powerplant featured a nearly square 86mm by 86.5mm bore and stroke, and it was all alloy, with a cast-in-place pushrod tube tunnel on the right side of the cylinder. A double-downtube frame was introduced in 1960, and specs included the Matchless-built 4-speed gearbox. The G80CS could be purchased with or without lighting equipment. This 1961 G80CS, offered at no reserve, appears to be correctly restored in red paint with aluminum fenders. It has the high-level air cleaner on the Amal Monobloc carburetor, and the classic Smiths chronometric speedometer shows 0 miles. Relatively few of these off-road Matchless singles were produced, and this one is a great example of a desirable classic. THE SOUTHWEST COLLECTION
