Description
Nimbus 1946 “Special” 746 cc OHC four combination frame # 6576 engine # 10395
in April 1934 the “Nimbus II” was brought out. The flat steel strip frame was a feature in common with the earlier “stove pipe”, but most other features were totally new: the top half of the crankcase was cast in one piece with the ribbed air cooled cylinder block. The iron cylinder head sported an overhead camshaft. The crankshaft drove the overhead camshaft through the upright mounted dynamo via sets of bevel gears. The Nimbus is a real touring motorcycle; the engine provides 18hp @ 4,000 rpm. It is a pleasant and unusual design with a good spares situation. 12,715 were produced between 1934 and 1960. Some 600 machines were made in 1946 and they were essentially the same as the 1939 machines, in Standard, Luksus, Sport and Special configurations. There were not many differences between these models; the Standard had a smaller front brake and the Luxus was adorned with gold pin striping. The Sport was fitted with a high-level exhaust and 22 hp engine and the Special was also equipped with the 22 hp power source.
This Special has a slightly younger engine and was delivered on April 13, 1946 to dealer C.V. Hansen in Copenhagen who had sold it to a Mr Dencker, who lived at walking distance from the Fisker & Nielsen factory. She comes with pillion seat and original Nimbus sidecar and stainless steel wheel rims. The former Belgian owner exchanged the combination with a Danish collector for three vintage machines. This was in 1978 and he has owned and frequently ridden the Nimbus for 45 years.
She was the first of its kind to be registered in Belgium and it took the owner a lot of effort (and even coming up with translated Danish Nimbus information) to convince the licencing authorities that this was a real motorcycle make and not a self-invented name. With the combination comes an extensive file with technical and historical info, receipts and press clippings etc of rallies the machine took part in. In July 2023 the engine was given a thorough overhaul by a Danish Nimbus specialist and since then only 40 kms have been ridden.