LOT 48

1930 Douglas 348cc A31 Registration no. CV 3856 Frame no. none visible Engine no. EV 1135

Sold for £5,175 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve

Lot 48

1930 Douglas 348cc A31
Registration no. CV 3856 Frame no. none visible Engine no. EV 1135

The Summer Sale - The International Classic MotorCycle Show (Three-Day Auction)|2 July 2021, 12:00 BST|Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

1930 Douglas 348cc A31
Registration no. CV 3856
Frame no. none visible
Engine no. EV 1135

Winner of the inaugural Isle of Man Sidecar TT in 1923 when he rode the legendary Douglas 'banking' sidecar outfit, ace rider/engineer Freddie Dixon began a fruitful association with the Bristol-based firm in the early 1920s, and in 1925 took up a technical post within the company where one of his first commissions was the design of the S5 and S6 models. Launched at the 1929 Olympia Show, the 'Dixon Douglases' set new standards of quietness and refinement for the motorcycle industry. Of advanced design, the duo featured sidevalve engines with detachable cylinder heads, fully enclosed valve gear, dry-sump lubrication, cast-in inlet manifolding for better cold starting, gear-driven 'pancake' dynamo, and unusually long service intervals. Although he left Douglas early in 1930, Dixon's hand was clearly behind its 1931 range. The new A31 carried on the themes of usability and refinement established by the S5/S6. A lightweight machine weighing in below the 224lb taxation limit then in force, it sold for £41 complete with full electric lighting equipment.

First registered on 30th December 1930, this A31 was acquired for the collection in November 2009. The accompanying old-style buff logbook (issued 1958) lists the frame number as 'FC 449' and records a change of engine from 'EV 290' to 'EV 1135'. An older restoration, the machine is offered with assorted correspondence; old/current V5/V5C registration documents; and three MoTs (most recent expired 2004).

Saleroom notices

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