This is a Rudge 500 Special, and it is quite simply, a wonderful specimen. The main bulk of the photos in this article were taken at the Goodwood Revival by the owner Josh.
The Rudge Special appeared in 1927 and was the baseline 500cc touring model from the Coventry concern. The Special was a top-drawer item, and at £69.10s, the fortunate owner took home a sporty 495cc four-valve overhead-valve machine that could smoke most motorcycles on the road at the time. An added bonus then, was the ability to stop with purpose with a linked system that activated both the front and rear brake drums at the same time.
The Special, being the touring model, was aptly suited to a sidecar work. The four-valve 500cc motor packed quite the punch and was more than capable of hauling along a carriage containing the other-half, the groceries, the dog, and the village local on the pillion seat. It takes a bit of imagination to picture this scene in the 1920’s with a post-war sense of adventure and freedom.
This time-capsule of a motorcycle wears its history and battle scars, and rewinds the imagination. The custodian is Josh Hassell. The bike was born in 1937 and was accompanied from the outset by a sidecar, as indicated in the original buff log book.
The history of this machine is rather scant. In recent years it was found in the depths of a hedge in Essex along with some 30+ pre war motorcycles, which are believed to have been in situ since 1964 – a collectors paradise! It was found adjoined to a VP Viper sidecar which may well have been attached to the bike very early on in the life of the motorcycle.
The VP Viper was made by V.P. Sheet Metal Ltd of Windsor Street Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and is considered by many to be one of the most handsome post war sports sidecar body shapes produced. The body panels are made with stressed aluminium, and incorporate a boot space behind the seat – yep, handy for those groceries!
The Rudge Special was a twin port, and this bike has been fitted with fishtail ends. This style of exhaust end emanated from the Brooklands circuit, when pressure was put on the competitors to lower the noise of their machines to keep the local residents on side. This led to the “Brooklands can” which had a flattened, tapered appearance that appeared in various forms that included the fishtail.
Once Josh had collected the motorcycle, it was stripped to the bare bones, where it was inspected, cleaned, mended (if needed) and re-assembled.
“It’s actually in remarkable condition due to having a tarpaulin over it before the hedge grew over, and deserves preservation rather than restoration”.
The inner panel work of the sidecar had disintegrated over the years, and so Josh had the task of remaking all of the inner panels and aluminium floor structure as per the original specification. Once the structure of the sidecar had been reassembled, the side panels were trimmed in woollen cloth, brass hinges were added to the opening panels, and a tonneau was fabricated to fasten to the new brass clips.
“All necessary safety measures have been taken with the preservation – a full rewire, all new cables, and the original hubs and rims have been re-spoked. Fortunately the bike has managed to be re-registered and has managed to retain its registration.”
The VP Rudge is now a fully functioning combination, and makes it out to many events around the country, including events at Goodwood. There is something special about an old school motorcycle outfit, and this Rudge Special fits that bill, very well.
Thank you to Josh for sending over the photos, and for the information on this quality bike.
an article by The Girder Club
If you would like to be kept up-to-date with the latest news and information on vintage motorcycles, feel free to sign up to our newsletter, which we aim to ping out each month.
Leave a Reply