The Thor motorcycles were produced in Aurora, Illinois by the Aurora Machine and Tool Company, which began as a machine shop in 1886. By 1901, the company was producing single-cylinder, poppet-valve engines under the Thor name. They supplied engines for numerous early manufactures, including the likes of Indian, Apache and Reading Standard.
Little is known of the company’s racing endeavors as less than a handful of racing examples exist today. This motorcycle was campaigned by Lima, Ohio native Ralph Marshall, is preserved in remarkable original condition, almost as it left the track during its last races in the 1930s. It features Thor’s single-cylinder power plant, with direct drive and its original Goodyear Blue Streak racing tires. It is displayed here with the original shipping crate, which still bears the rider’s F.A.M. racing license.
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