Double KNOCKER
At first sight, Phil Price’s Velocette looks like another well-prepared KTT 350 from the New Zealander’s collection of classic racers. On closer inspection, if you know about racing Velocettes, you realise that this is a very unusual machine. It’s a copy of a 1936 dohc works engine housed in a replica of a 1952 works semi-duplex frame. This extraordinary Velocette is a product of Phil’s long-term friendship with Nick Thomson, Velocette aficionado and engineering guru.
The inspiration for this 350 came while Phil and Nick were watching Bill Swallow aboard the dohc Eldee 250 Velocette compete in the 2014 Isle of Man Classic TT. The 250s were being sidelined and, to stay competitive in the 350 class against later model twins and multis, a very special 350 Velocette would be needed. Phil and Nick wanted to achieve a faster lap than any previous Velocette; possibly a 100mph lap, the Velo racer’s Holy Grail. To attain these goals, Phil and Nick knew they needed more power, better handing, better suspension and a significant weight reduction. They would carry on where the Velocette factory left off, and decided to undertake as much of the work as possible themselves.
Velocette’s small but very capable racing department produced two different dohc 350 singles; the first in 1936 and the
