After putting the gorgeous 1963 500cc Marsh MR4 on display by courtesy of the National Motorcycle Museum, classic vehicle insurance broker Footman James won the award for the best trade stand exhibit at the International Classic MotorCycle Show at the Stafford County Showground on April 21-22.
The four-cylinder machine was built by shipyard fitter turned motorcycle legend Fred Marsh, who started the design in 1953. Making all the parts by hand on his home-constructed lathe, he completed the motorcycle in 1963.
When Motor Cycle’s David Dixon was given the privilege of testing the MR4, he found that it would rev to only 7200rpm, but three years later, after further development and in the hands of a Motor Cycle News staffman, it reached a healthy 9000rpm.
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Tony Godfrey, George Collis and Derek Minter all tried out the MR4 at the Isle of Man TT races.
After Fred Marsh passed away in 1978, the machine remained in storage until it was bought by the National Motorcycle Museum in 2008.
Footman James also won a best trade stand exhibit award at Stafford last year after putting Sammy Miller’s 1939 AJS V4 on display.
Read more News and Features in the June 2018 issue of OBM – on sale now!
