9:17 am, November 29, 2022
The LJ80 supplied by Suzuki to motorcycle legend and twice-world 500cc champion Barry Sheene more than 40 years ago has come home again.
Sheene was given the Jimny in 1979 – Suzuki’s first year of car sales in the UK – in recognition of his time as a works rider and used by him for five years as a circuit pit vehicle at his races as well as for promotional work.
It was then privately owned by his family and used at their farm in Surrey until 1987.
The car, with Sheene’s famous race number 7, was found in a state of disrepair and covered in hay bales but restored by its next owner, a former Suzuki marketing director, to its exact specifications.
The LJ80 is powered by an 800cc four-cylinder engine and has high- and low-ratio gears for off-road use. It also features a soft top with removable side-screen doors.
The car was later sold privately then bought by Haywards Heath-based Sussex dealer CMW, which displayed it in its showroom as well as taking it out on the road occasionally.
It was sold at auction in 2013 into a private collection of road and race cars, then came up for sale again on November 12 at the NEC as part of the Silverstone Auctions catalogue during the Classic Car Show.
After being alerted to the sale by the auctioneers, Suzuki GB secured the winning bid for the pastel blue vehicle, which had 26,170 miles on the clock, paying £24,750 plus a buyer’s premium of 15 per cent including VAT.
The manufacturer said that with a little choke to the carburettor, it started first time and was driven out of the NEC.
Suzuki GB managing director Nobuo Suyama said: ‘We are very excited and proud to own this famous vehicle again some 42 years after we supplied it to Barry Sheene and his racing team.
‘With 1979 being our first year of car sales in the UK, this now has pride of place in our showroom and will be used at our cross-divisional events in the future along with the collection of race motorcycles.
‘Our thanks to the team at Silverstone Auctions for making us aware of this important car in our global company history, which spans 102 years.
‘Suzuki Motor Corporation also celebrated 50 years of its iconic four-wheel-drive vehicles in 2020.’
Sheene, who won the world 500cc titles consecutively in 1976 and 1977, died in March 2003 at the age of 52 after being diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and stomach.
