Owner Mick Broom, who has championed the well-known Hesketh marque for 30 years, has announced he is selling the Hesketh Motorcycle Works near Brackley.

Prospective owners can meet staff and view the Hesketh factory, based at Turweston Aerodrome, at an open day this Sunday, September 14.

The Hesketh factory has several new machines in the pipeline, including the 1200cc Vulcan, and existing machines include the V1000, the Vampire tourer and the 1100cc Vortan. Prices for the classic V1000 start at around £14,000, rising to £20,000 for the Vortan.

Mr Broom said: "I've reached retirement age, and I'm looking to pass the business on to someone who can take it forward through this century. I've been running it for more than 30 years and in that time the bikes have matured into classics."

He added: "We don't tend to advertise locally because our market is world-wide, from Alaska to Australia. The reason why I've kept it going for 30 years is that I believe Hesketh motorcycles have a future. They're nice to look at and people enjoy riding them."

Mr Broom, an engineer with a background in motorcycle racing, will continue with other projects through Broom Development Engineering, including the Doodlebug ultra-light aircraft and a three-wheeled concept car.

The original Hesketh motorcycle was the brainchild of Lord Hesketh, and was developed on the Easton Neston estate outside Towcester. A prototype was created in 1980, and a factory was built in Daventry, but the firm went into receivership in 1982.

However, the development team stayed together, and resumed manufacturing for a time, although general production ceased when a down-turn in the national motorcycle market hit sales. But since 1984,

Mr Broom, a member of the original development team, has kept his Hesketh roots.

He has retained capacity to assemble Hesketh bikes to order, and has continued to develop aspects of the machine.

The Hesketh Motorcycle Works will hold its open day as part of the Vintage Aircraft Club's annual Vintage and Classic event at Turweston Aerodrome this Sunday. Mr Broom can be contacted on 01280 841842.