1959 BSA Super Rocket
VIN: FA711771
When Triumph introduced its new Bonneville model in 1959, BSA answered the challenge with its own high performance version, the A10R Super Rocket. Endowed with a hotter cam, alloy heads, and a (keyless) magneto ignition, the Super Rocket became the hottest bike in the BSA arsenal.
The example shown here had been stashed away in a California garage since at least the mid-80's before being acquired by the current owner in 2011. The bike, showing 24,957miles on the odometer, was first taken to Trophy Motorcycles in San Diego, where an evaluation was performed that included replacement of rear shocks and fuel petcock. Next, the bike was taken to Triumph/BSA specialist John Stanley in Carlsbad, where the Super Rocket underwent a complete three year restoration. It was then started and run twice before being “pickled” and placed into storage. (All work docs included with the sale.)
This Super Rocket has a couple of interesting features, the first being its China Blue paint, a special factory option color, with a caricature of a large 50's style rocket ship displayed on the tank. More intriguing was the part numbers that John Stanley found on a number of engine and transmission parts in the course of his restoration of the drive train: Unusual letters had been stamped into the parts alongside the traditional part numbers. John's investigation of these unusual part numbers, not found in the BSA parts manuals, revealed that BSA's race department had produced a limited number of factory racing bikes, and that the letters were those of the specific factory employee who had put together that particular motorcycle. The total number of such factory race bikes is unknown, but the person whom John talked to said that he had only personally encountered one such bike in all his years dealing with BSA Super Rockets.
THIS MOTORCYCLE TO BE COLLECTED FROM BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA.
The Motorcycle has been consigned to the Classic Motorcycle Online Auction hosted by the Classic Car Auction Group. The auction is Saturday, May 9, 2026, with online bidding only. To consign your motorcycle and/or to register to bid on this and other bikes in the auction go to http://www.classiccarauction.us.
