A Bonhams sale that reads less like a catalogue and more like a roll call of early motorcycling at its most inventive.
Words: Rich Orriss
Photos: Bonhams
There can be temptation with a big Stafford catalogue to dip in, find the bike you have been after for all of those years, admire the estimate, and put it back down again. But the forthcoming Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale is better read properly. Start at the beginning and work forward, because this year more than most it feels like a timeline through the years of the motorcycle rather than a list.
The most prominent collection is that of Rex Judd. Rex Judd (b. 1899) rose from Brooklands hopeful to one of Britain’s notable 1920s racers, working with “Wizard” O’Donovan and achieving success on Norton and Velocette machines, including record-breaking runs and the Godfrey Cup for surpassing 90mph. After joining Douglas in 1922 he continued setting records, becoming an early 100mph Brooklands rider, while his Isle of Man TT efforts were defined more by grit than results, notably his punishing 1925 ride that earned the Nisbet Award. Retiring in 1927, Judd went on to build a successful Edgware dealership, remained closely involved in racing circles, and became a respected collector of early motorcycles; today, that collection forms the core of the Bonhams auction.
Over 250 machines will cross the block across the two days, spanning everything from the earliest motorised contraptions through to proper racing motorcycles. And buried within that are a number of lots that, taken together, tell the story of the evolution of the motorcycle… here are a few that peaked our interest and all of them are up for auction.
Before the motorcycle
It all starts with the Daimler Reitwagen replica – an echo of Gottlieb Daimler’s 1885 original. Twin stabilising wheels, wooden frame, and an engine that looks like it has come straight out of a meth lab. It’s not quite the motorcycle as many of us would recognise, but it is the moment the idea started to take hold.
By 1902, things started to take traction. This Clément is typical of that era, a time when motors were slung into ready-made bicycle frames. It was a simple, yet ground breaking time – these motorcycles were light and tentative, and in this case the small Clément engine drove the rear wheel with just enough conviction to be useful.
It was also a time to experiment, and this 1902 Singer/Perks & Birch 2½hp is one such example. It was the invention of Messrs Edwin Perks and Frank Birch. The unusual design consisted of a small four-stroke engine complete with carburettor, fuel tank, and magneto, all housed within an eight-spoked cast-aluminium wheel suitable for attachment to any standard bicycle. The pair began manufacturing the Motor Wheel at their works in Coventry, and in 1900 Singer acquired the rights to the Motor Wheel, which they proceeded to improve.
This 1904 Ariel 2¾hp No. 1 begins to feel like a manufacturer finding direction. The public wanted to know what they were getting, and so reliability trials gathered momentum which gave manufacturers some credibility behind their machines… or not! It would seem that the motorcycle was starting to take on a cohesive, and less improvised shape.
But there are always a few that go against the grain. The c.1902 Holden is one of those motorcycles. The prototype Holden that arrived in 1895 is thought to be the first two wheeled British motorcycle, and probably also the earliest road going vehicle of any type powered by a four-cylinder internal combustion engine – it is engineering on its own terms, and all the more interesting for it. In 1950 Ixion observed that “its tiny rear wheel was a sad technical blunder”, but it was a time for experimentation and development, so in our opinion the quirks of the bike make it quite special.
Pressure builds
As soon as these machines that form, they’re tested in a variety of ways – hill climbs, trials, early racing – and with all of that, the weak ideas fall away quickly.
The c.1910 Wilkinson Touring Auto-Cycle (TAC) reflects that. Built with the precision you’d expect from a company better known for arms manufacture, it is heavy but meticulously engineered. The TAC had a 678cc inline four-cylinder air-cooled engine with shaft drive. A small number of early versions of the TAC featured a steering wheel instead of bars (this novel idea didn’t last long for obvious reasons!), and an upholstered bucket seat, much like an old style captains chair. The TAC had leaf spring suspension front and rear, and with a long wheel base and relaxed riding style, it must have looked quite the picture on Britain’s roads in 1908, when they were first released. This one is a project, but it looks like there is a lot there to make it into something quite special.
The 1910 Harley-Davidson Model 6A takes a different tack. Belt drive, simple controls, and a layout that could be produced consistently. These bikes take you back to a simple time in America – dust roads and motorcycles started to become part of the scenery.
Then there’s the c.1912 Pierce Four. Inspired by FN, Pierce launched its own four-cylinder motorcycle in 1909 – the first four-cylinder motorcycle built in the United States. The Pierce Four quickly earned a reputation for refinement and durability, marketed under the proud claim of being “vibrationless”. What made Pierce motorcycles truly distinctive, was their construction. The frame was formed from massive 3½-inch diameter steel tubes, which doubled as fuel and oil tanks. This clever idea afforded the machines a clean, uncluttered appearance while also improving structural rigidity.
Even by 1919, motorcycles were still in their infancy, and many bore similarities to those built at the turn of the century. This c.1919 Ariel 3½hp is one such machine that still carries the DNA of the pioneer era – belt drive, simple geometry – but executed with far more confidence and comfort. A three-speed countershaft gearbox for example, made the experience a whole lot calmer over the early bikes, many of which needed a running start and had no clutch. It was all starting to become a little bit more refined…
The 1920s: racing decides
By the early 1920s, racing began to separate the merely interesting from the genuinely effective.
The Norton Model 9 TT was built with competition in mind. At this time, a belt driver without a gearbox or clutch was starting to look a tad old fashioned, but the Norton Model 9 T.T. was different. In their 1922 sales catalogue Norton promoted their direct belt drive Model 9 as follows:
“An all round sporting model with high speed possibilities. It is fully equipped for the road; the comfortable riding position and great ease of steering make it eminently suitable for long distance competition work or fast touring. It is considered the most efficient T.T. machine and hill climber model.” It was a purposeful motorcycle, and designed to survive flat-out use over distance.
Sprint meetings were also a popular type of racing. The events were often held on closed public roads. George Dance, a Sunbeam mechanic and legendary sprint and hill climb racer, used standard 350c.c. and 500c.c. Sunbeams with modified, cut-down frames to ‘slimline’ the bike. Dance was virtually unbeatable, and as Development Engineer at the works, the famous Sprint models were his creation that made the Sunbeam catalogue for 1924. The following year however, the government placed a ban on public road racing, and this marked the end of the Sprint which was discontinued in 1926, making it a rare bike. And there are two 500 models up for grabs in this auction!
The AJS Big Port reflects the next step – engine development driven by racing, its enlarged ports aimed squarely at improving breathing and performance. The 350cc AJS OHV machines started life at the 1921 Isle of Man TT. In 1922, the diameter of the big-bore exhaust was enlarged to a diameter of 2 inches. The catalogued road-racer was a hit, and characterised by its enormous exhaust, it was quickly nick-named the “Big Port”. The bike was quick and nimble, and a favourite for club racing, being good for 80mph. This 1927 H7 Big Port is the last of the flat-tankers, which were dropped in 1928 in favour of a saddle-tank machine.
Away from the track, the same lessons filtered through. The 1922 Triumph Model R Ricardo benefits from combustion theory refined by Harry Ricardo, while the 1926 HRD Model 90 offered performance in a usable package. The 1927 BMW R47, with its shaft drive and flat-twin layout, feels notably advanced – stable, smooth, and engineered for longevity. It was German engineering after all.
Not everything followed the same path however. The ABC 398cc explored refinement with its flat-twin engine with its cylinders mounted across a duplex cradle frame. It provoked a lot of interest with innovative front and rear leaf springs and internal expanding brakes fitted to both wheels, and caused a stir with its unique looks at the annual Motor Cycle Show, where orders started to pour in with an initial price tag of £110.
And things were even quirkier out there. The Wanderer reflected German attention to detail and build quality, distinguished by their wedge-shaped fuel tank. And then there is the Ner-a-Car with hub-centre steering, feet-forward riding position, and a layout that feels decades ahead of its time, even if it didn’t catch on.
The 1924 Scott Squirrel added another dimension. Its water-cooled two-stroke twin, proven in TT competition, delivered performance in a way entirely different from the four-stroke norm.
Speed as the goal
By the mid-1920s, speed was no longer a by-product – it was often the objective.
The Douglas Brooklands Special was born from the banked circuit of Weybridge. Low, fast, and uncompromising, it was designed to sit at speed for extended periods. The 1925 TT Duggies were all works machines, and it is believed that the machine offered here started life as one of those 1925 works bikes (albeit like most racing motorcycles it has evolved over time and has been progressively updated).
That thoroughbred thinking carried forward into the 1932 Rudge Ulster, its four-valve engine and race pedigree rooted in success at the Ulster Grand Prix. It’s a road bike, but only just!
The motorcycle arrives
By the 1930s, the motorcycle really started to look like a motorcycle that most know today. The saddle tank was in, and each manufacturer had developed their own identity.
The Vincent HRD Comet was Vincent’s sporting 500cc single, developed in the mid-1930s as the lighter, more attainable counterpart to the firm’s famous V-twins. Built around a 499cc overhead-valve engine designed by Phil Irving, the Comet carried much of the same advanced thinking as its larger siblings – most notably the stressed-member engine, “backbone” frame, and Vincent’s distinctive cantilever rear suspension at a time when many rivals still relied on rigid frames. It started with the Series A such as this one, and earned a reputation as a fast, refined roadster capable of around 90mph, often dubbed “half a Vincent” but in truth sharing much of the specification and character of the more exotic twins.
The Zündapp K500 took on a different route – solid, engineered, and built with durability in mind, its shaft drive hinting at long-distance practicality. Common to all the larger models and eminently suited to withstanding the stresses and strains imposed by travel on unmade roads, the robust frame and girder forks were made of pressed steel, an advanced feature at the time.
Post-war, the Moto Guzzi Dondolino demonstrated how racing had evolved – lighter, more agile, and focused on handling as much as power. The pre-war V-twin was the works team’s favoured mount in the 500cc class in the late 1940s – in fact a Dondolino customer-bike ridden by Enrico Lorenzetti proved good enough to win the 1946 Swiss Grand Prix.
And then to the Velocette KTT Mk VIII. Its bevel-drive camshaft, rigid focus on racing, and decades of TT development make it a distilled competition machine. It proved good enough to provide Freddie Frith and Velocette with the 350cc World Championship in 1949, a year in which he won every Championship round, though in most cases courtesy of a special works twin-cam engine. Today the Mk VIII KTT is one of the most sought after of all British racing motorcycles.
The edges
Not everything sits neatly in the narrative. The Reliant Regent is a reminder that the definition of motorcycling was once far broader – utility, economy, and practicality sitting alongside performance. This 1948 van had been used to advertise the Portpatrick Pottery for many years.
There are many more motorcycles in the catalogue, but these are the ones that stand out. Not just as desirable machines, but as points along the way. From the fragile beginnings of the Daimler, through the excess of Holden, the racing-led development of Norton, Sunbeam and Rudge, and on to the fully realised performance of Vincent and Velocette, you can trace the entire evolution of the motorcycle in a single sale.
Bonhams have landed one heck of a line up, that will be auctioned off at The International Motorcycle Show in Stafford on 26 April. For the full list of bikes, visit the motorcycle section of the Bonhams website.
an article by The Girder Club
— the home of vintage motorcycles, tall tales, and machines that refuse to behave —
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