Velocette KTT MK VI - VIII

KTT Mk VI: The KTT Mk VI of 1935 was no more than a prototype that was built under the influence of Stanley Woods. They used the engine of the KTT Mk V, a new frame and the aluminum cylinder head from the KSS Mk II. Four machines were built, three 350 cc and 500 cc. They were not for sale.

KTT Mk VII: The Mk VII came into production in 1938. The aluminum cylinder was now standard in production  and the machine was practically the same as the factory racers of Ted Mellors. The machine was only seven months in production, because the rear suspension was introduced and developed for the Mk VIII.

KTT Mk VIII: In 1939 it appeared as the latest version of the KTT. It had a swingarm rear suspension with two Dowty shocks. The valve springs were now completely enclosed. By the outbreak of the war, the production had to be suspended, but in 1939 there were already 50 sold. Total number produced was more than 230. During the forties, the machine was still very successful, until production ended in 1950.
 

Velocette KTT MK VIII, Racing

With its deep petrol tank, massively finned overhead-cam engine and purposeful appearance, the MkVIII KTT is unquestionably one of the most beautiful racing motorcycles ever made. The talking point of Velocette's new racer on its introduction at the 1938 Earls Court Show was swinging-arm rear suspension, an innovation first seen on the works bikes in 1936. By now tried and tested, the Velocette rear suspension comprised a pivoting fork made from tapered tubing and complemented by a pair of Dowty Oleomatic air-sprung struts. The rest of the cycle parts remained much as those of the rigid-framed MkVII. The engine, while basically the same as its predecessor's, incorporated a number of improvements intended to enhance power and reliability, and despite the springer's increase in weight over the rigid model, its superior performance and excellent handling made the MkVIII KTT a formidable competitor. Indeed, the production version differed little from the works bikes that had dominated the 1938 Isle of Man Junior TT, Stan Woods leading home team-mate Ted Mellors to break Norton's seven-year stranglehold on the event. Woods repeated his win the following year.

Despite its pre-war origins, the MkVIII KTT proved good enough to provide Freddie Frith and Velocette with the 350cc World Championship in 1949. Frith won every round, though in most cases courtesy of a special works twin-cam engine, while in 1950 Bob Foster won three out of six to bring the 350cc World Championship back to Hall Green for the second successive year. Just 49 MkVIIIs were constructed prior to WW2 and a further 189 to the end of production in 1950. Today the MkVIII KTT is one of the most sought after of all British racing motorcycles.