With regard to works 'specials' appearing Down Under. I know that Veloce sold some of their 'tool-room' specials to Australia, on the strict understanding that no spares were available from Hall Green. This did not deter the guys, they made and rebuilt the machines as required. Perhaps other manufacturers used the same method.
I'm on the Great Flapjack Foray of Life - can't you tell!
“You don’t stop riding because you get old. You get old because you stop riding”