THE mac FACTOR

Mention Velocette to any Brit bike enthusiast, or indeed anyone even vaguely aware of motorcycles in general, and the response will likely include words like quality, the TT, performance, challenging and high cost. And for good reason. Veloce earned their reputation by building race-winning overhead cam singles, 24-hour record-breaking machines and fast roadburners built to a very high standard. Problem is, all that costs money but doesn’t really make you any. Then there’s the MAC.

Born in 1934, the result of a happy union between the recently introduced ohv 250cc MOV and a longer stroke, the 349cc MAC became the longest-serving and one of the most profitable machines ever produced by the factory. For sure, the pre-war