Estimated Price: £4,000 - £6,000

• In an effort to deflect criticism following its withdrawal from works Grand Prix racing at the end of the 1954 season, NSU announced that a racing version of its Max roadster would be made available to privateers. The result was the Sportmax — a machine that, from the opening round of the 1955 season, was widely regarded as the fastest over-the-counter 250cc racer money could buy.
• The Sportmax proved immediately successful at the very highest level. In works-supported hands it carried veteran ace Hermann Müller to the 1955 250cc World Championship, while for private entrants it offered a rare blend of outright performance and robust reliability. Throughout the mid- to late-1950s it was ridden by many of the era’s leading names, including John Surtees, Sammy Miller, Pierre Monneret, and former NSU works rider Hans Baltisburger. Later in the decade, an ex-Surtees Sportmax was campaigned to spectacular effect by a young Mike Hailwood, underlining the design’s enduring competitiveness well into the 1960s
• Unfortunately, little is known about the early history of the machine offered here. Robin Haigh purchased it around the year 2000 and it has remained in his collection ever since. It is believed to have been constructed as a Sportmax race replica, closely following original factory practice and incorporating numerous genuine Sportmax components. The frame is unnumbered. Notable features include a handmade aluminium-alloy fuel tank believed to be original, period-style aluminium mudguards and seat unit, and attractive alloy wheel rims that further enhance its purposeful competition appearance
• Power is supplied by a tuned NSU Max engine, #3236545 and, according to a handwritten note on file, 'she goes like a rocket'. While unused for some time and now requiring careful recommissioning before any active use, the motorcycle presents as a highly evocative and visually striking tribute to one of the most important privateer racers of the 1950s
• A compelling opportunity to acquire a Sportmax-style NSU racer, rich in period detail and competition character, recalling a golden era when privateers could buy — and win with — the very best