Mac Motorcycles at Autosport Show

CAST your mind back a couple of years and you might remember a spate of stories about a new British bike firm called Mac Motorcycles with plans to launch a range of bobber-style single-cylinder machines based around Buell Blast engines.

Back then there wasn't too much evidence apart from some artist's renditions of the proposed four-bike range, but now the company has cropped up again with plans to show a prototype at the Autosport Show in January.

The prototype in question will be of the firm's 'Spud' model. No, really, that's what it's going to be called. The others, all derivatives of the same engine and frame combo, are the Pea Shooter, Ruby and Roarer.

The chassis has been prepared by Harris while the styling is from Xenophya Design. It looks like the plan is to sell the bikes in kit form although quite where the firm or its customers will source Buell Blast engines in any quantity is a mystery; the bike's been out of production for a couple of years and only a handful were ever sold in the UK in the first place. Presumably American customers would have fewer problems sourcing motors, though.

The prototype Spud is set to make its first pubic appearance on the Birchills Automotive stand at the Autosport Show in Birmingham's NEC from 12-15 January (Birchills makes the bike's exhaust – several different prototype designs of which can be seen in these pictures).