1913 Rex 896cc V-twin

Registration no. BF 5525 Frame no. 23276 Engine no. 10852

• Rex's own engine
• Fully restored in 2010
• Discreetly fitted electric starter
• Pioneer Run eligible

An innovative marque from the time of its inception in 1899 as a motor manufacturer, Rex demonstrated its first motorcycle in 1900 and was soon active in all types of competition, including the inaugural 1907 Isle of Man TT where Billy Heaton's sprung-fork Rex finished second in the twin-cylinder class. Rex experimented with 350cc two-stroke and shaft-driven v-twin models prior to WWI, and continued manufacturing its own power units until the early 1920s, after which proprietary engines became the norm. By this time neighbours Coventry Acme had been taken over and in the next few years the ranges were rationalised, the 'Rex-Acme' name being adopted in 1921.

In 1923 the firm signed rising star Walter Handley, a move that would set Rex-Acme on the road to racing success. Handley had won the 250cc Belgian and Ulster Grands Prix by the end of his debut season, and in 1925 became the first rider to win two TTs in one week: the 350 Junior and 175 Ultra-Lightweight. Handley's second place in the Senior was Rex-Acme's best TT result in 1926, but the marque returned to the winner's rostrum the following year when Handley won the Lightweight event. With some justification the firm incorporated the 'Three Legs of Man' into its tank badge. The 1927 win was to prove Rex-Acme's swansong TT victory, for despite all its racetrack successes, both in the Isle of Man and at Brooklands, the firm became a casualty of the Depression, and although there was a brief revival, was gone for good by 1933.

Dating from the firm's heyday, this example is powered by Rex's own v-twin engine. Fully restored in 2010, the machine has seen only limited use since then, taking part in two Pioneer Runs and a few other club runs. It has been enhanced by fitting very nice period-correct front and rear lights; a luggage rack with wicker basket; and a side pannier. Installed in 2017, an electric starter, discreetly hidden beneath the left foot-board, has made the Rex much easier to start and even more of a joy to use. Last run in March 2022, this Veteran-era Rex is described by the private vendor as in generally very good condition and offered with a Sunbeam MCC Pioneer Certificate and old/current V5/V5C documents.
Offered with key