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One Man's Dream
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John Britten
Neale Bayly
12/01/2003
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Photography by Cordero Studios/corderostudios.com
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Scattered like seeds in the wind, the 10 existing Britten motorcycles have blown
to the far corners of the earth. Metallic reminders of one man’s dream, they
stand as silent testimony to the drive, vision and genius of the late John
Britten. Exquisite artwork in their repose, they once were warriors, possessed
with a great spirit from the Maori nation of their birth. Hardened veterans of
the world’s racetracks, for the many who battled against them the result was
usually the same: Defeat.
 A mechanical engineer from Christchurch, New
Zealand, John Britten was a brilliant light that shone on the motorcycle-racing
stage for five short years. Tragically, his untimely death from cancer robbed
the world of his unbelievable talent, leaving the unanswered question of what
might have been. In an arena of factory-supported race teams, this tenacious
privateer and his bikes embossed a remarkable signature on the rich fabric of
our racing history. Leaving such a unique and undeniably beautiful motorcycle
behind as the legacy of his dreams has also written John Britten into one of the
greatest chapters of this history. (Click image to enlarge)
Working from his home garage in the
early ’90s, John Britten went where no privateer had been before, and set out to
build a motorcycle. From his own drawings, Britten sand-casted the engine cases
in a kiln and painstakingly built a 1000cc, 60-degree V-twin. In this form, this
four-valve engine was said to produce around 155 horsepower at 12,000 rpm and
was known as the precursor engine. The bodywork was fashioned in carbon fiber
and, as with the majority of the 3,000 components on the bike, was all handmade
in the small Christchurch garage. John Britten shipped two bikes to the Daytona
International Speedway in 1991 and amazed the racing community by taking second
and third place in the Battle of the Twins.
Back in New Zealand,
development continued. A second-generation engine was fitted along with
girder forks of Britten’s own design. One year later in 1992, the Britten
returned to the high banks of Daytona. On race day, the V1000 ran up front for
16 laps before fate dealt John a cruel blow—a mechanical problem forced the
bike’s early retirement. The rectifier had been wired the wrong way, which
caused the battery to die. In all fairness to the team that worked all night to
repair a cracked cylinder, the problem would never have occurred had it not been
for a long delay due to rain. But that’s racing.
 Undeterred, John Britten
took the bike back to New Zealand, where he soon began winning races and
breaking FIM World Speed Records. In 1995, he returned to Daytona. This time the
gods smiled, and his bike took the elusive victory out on the famous circuit.
The applause rained in from around the world for the homemade machine from
Christchurch that had challenged the world and won. Touted as the world’s most
advanced motorcycle, it bristled with unique design features from the mind of
its creator. The radiator was housed under the seat and, due to the channeling
of cool air, was able to be half the size of a conventional unit. Britten had
looked to the world of Formula One racing for his thoughts on airflow, and his
unique carbon fiber bodywork was deliberately shaped to force air under the
machine to help hold it to the ground. Aiding the bike’s aerodynamic profile by
not presenting the radiator as a flat object to the oncoming air, was one of the
reasons the bike was able to easily top 185 mph. (Click image to enlarge)
A journey around the bike
reveals many more unique design elements, from the ultra-light carbon fiber
frame to the girder-style front forks which were fully adjustable for not only
rake and trail but dive—something a conventional fork couldn’t offer. Rolling on
carbon fiber wheels, the fuel-injected, computer-controlled, featherweight
machine stopped people in their tracks every time it was brought out of the pit
garage. Thundering around the racetrack, with its distinctive and patriotic
colors blazing, there was no denying the presence of the Britten V1000.
 Sadly, within a few months of his epic Daytona victory, John Britten passed
away and the task of completing the 10 bikes he had envisioned was left to his
Britten Motorcycle Factory. Today, these bikes live in museums or private
collections around the world. It was with much interest therefore, when we
learned Britten number eight was in the hands of GP Star, a company specializing
in the sale of rare, exotic and pedigreed motorcycles. Offered at $249,000, it
is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase one of the rarest motorcycles in
the world as, to quote a recent documentary, “no other motorcycle can boast of
such a direct line to the heart and soul of its creator.” In talking with
company owner Elias Corey, I found out the bike has its own share of John
Britten lore, being raced to second place in the Sound of Thunder series at
Daytona by Michel Barnes in 1997. Conceding the win to Andrew Stroud on another
Britten, the following year Barnes took revenge finishing on the top step of the
podium. After the race, the bike was shipped to New Zealand, where it underwent
a $35,000 refurbishment to the latest Britten specifications. It hasn’t been
ridden or raced since, and is just as it left the factory. (Click image to enlarge)
Britten
number seven is on display at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama,
and for a time was ridden by museum employee Chuck Honeycut on various
racetracks around the country. Standing in splendid isolation amongst some of
the world’s finest machines, museum director Jeff Ray said of the bike, “If you
walked in with a paper bag containing $400,000, you wouldn’t be taking it
home”—true testament to the desirability these machines have among zealous
collectors.
How one man left such a giant footprint in the sands of
motorcycle time is as much a part of John Britten’s myth as the motorcycle he
produced. Romantic in his endeavor and steadfast to his dream, the legend of
John Britten and his amazing motorcycles from New Zealand will never die. As
possibly the last time in our foreseeable future that one man will so
conclusively take on the establishment and win, he leaves our lives richer, and
our dreams more tangible.
Price: Britten #8, $249,000
www.gpstar.net
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