Bristol-based Douglas commenced motorcycle production in 1907 with a machine powered by a horizontally-opposed twin. Fore-and-aft installation made for a slim machine with a low centre of gravity, virtues that were soon demonstrated in competition, Douglas machines taking 1st, 2nd and 4th places in the 1912 Isle of Man Junior TT. When speedway racing arrived in Britain in 1928, the new sport quickly caught the public’s imagination and before long almost all major UK manufacturers listed a dirt-track model, Douglas being the first marque to establish dominance with its 500cc DT5 and 600cc DT6 overhead-valve models. The company’s inline flat twins had benefited from much prior development on the Australian long tracks, but as shorter tracks became the norm in the UK, the DT’s otherwise excellent handling could no longer compensate for the handicap of a longish wheelbase. Nevertheless, away from the speedway tracks, the DT in its less specialised ‘SW’ form proved a most competitive mount. According to renowned Douglas marque expert and Bonhams consultant, Jeff Clew, the machine offered here consists of a very early dirt-track frame and a 4hp long-stroke (62x82mm) 600cc engine, while the spare engine included in the sale (number ‘EL954’) is a long-stroke, dirt-track unit dating from 1928. The machine was discovered in a chicken shed in Lydiate near Ormskirk, Lancashire in the mid-1950s and purchased by the current owner. The vendor at that time stated that his father had acquired the bike before WW2 and that previously it had been raced on Southport beach, which was born out by sand discovered inside the lower frame tubes. The accompanying old-style logbook (issued 1962) records the date of first registration as 17th April 1935. The engine was subsequently rebuilt and the machine assembled using a spare set of wheels that had come with it, the originals having corroded away. Since the 1950s rebuild the engine has been started only once, in the vendor’s workshop, and the machine has never been ridden while in his possession. The spare engine included in the sale was rescued from a motorcycle dealership, owned by a Mr Len Myerscough in Litherland, Lancashire, shortly before its scheduled demolition.
Bristol-based Douglas commenced motorcycle production in 1907 with a machine powered by a horizontally-opposed twin. Fore-and-aft installation made for a slim machine with a low centre of gravity, virtues that were soon demonstrated in competition, Douglas machines taking 1st, 2nd and 4th places in the 1912 Isle of Man Junior TT. When speedway racing arrived in Britain in 1928, the new sport quickly caught the public’s imagination and before long almost all major UK manufacturers listed a dirt-track model, Douglas being the first marque to establish dominance with its 500cc DT5 and 600cc DT6 overhead-valve models. The company’s inline flat twins had benefited from much prior development on the Australian long tracks, but as shorter tracks became the norm in the UK, the DT’s otherwise excellent handling could no longer compensate for the handicap of a longish wheelbase. Nevertheless, away from the speedway tracks, the DT in its less specialised ‘SW’ form proved a most competitive mount. According to renowned Douglas marque expert and Bonhams consultant, Jeff Clew, the machine offered here consists of a very early dirt-track frame and a 4hp long-stroke (62x82mm) 600cc engine, while the spare engine included in the sale (number ‘EL954’) is a long-stroke, dirt-track unit dating from 1928. The machine was discovered in a chicken shed in Lydiate near Ormskirk, Lancashire in the mid-1950s and purchased by the current owner. The vendor at that time stated that his father had acquired the bike before WW2 and that previously it had been raced on Southport beach, which was born out by sand discovered inside the lower frame tubes. The accompanying old-style logbook (issued 1962) records the date of first registration as 17th April 1935. The engine was subsequently rebuilt and the machine assembled using a spare set of wheels that had come with it, the originals having corroded away. Since the 1950s rebuild the engine has been started only once, in the vendor’s workshop, and the machine has never been ridden while in his possession. The spare engine included in the sale was rescued from a motorcycle dealership, owned by a Mr Len Myerscough in Litherland, Lancashire, shortly before its scheduled demolition.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
