Steve Tonkin took on the task of building the ultimate café racer. After John Tickle sold the rights to Unity Equipe, they would eventually be acquired by Andy Molnar in 1994. A former TT racer who won the Junior TT in 1981, Steve would partner with Andy Molnar to build the Tonkin Tornado. Built to 1963 Manx specifications, it had a Seeley MkII frame, Ceriani forks, conical rear hub and Fontana-style front brake. Around 18 Tornados were built.
Tonkin also produced the Tempest which mainly used a 500cc single-cylinder BSA Gold Star engine and the Typhoon with a Titchmarsh Seeley MK2 frame and swinging arm with Ceriani forks housing a Beale G50 engine running a slightly lower compression piston than the racing engine.
Original article appeared in Old Bike Mart. To subscribe, click here: https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/old-bike-mart
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