Offered from The Forshaw Speedway Collection, 1928 Douglas 498cc DT5 Racing Motorcycle

Frame no. TF 576 Engine no. EL 787

• Purchased by Richard Forshaw in 1982
• Previous owner a Mr Walter Green (presumably the former speedway rider who finished second in the 1950 World Championship final)
• Restored to a high standard

Edward and William Douglas migrated from Scotland to Bristol in 1882 to repair machinery in the well established boot and shoe making industry. They also set up a foundry producing high quality castings including those for shoe lasts. At the same time Joseph Barton, proprietor of Bristol Light Motors Ltd, approached Douglas for castings for their pioneering horizontally opposed twin cylinder motorcycle engine. After a number of years Edward left the business to concentrate on the boot and shoe trade whilst William expanded his business when he bought the ailing Bristol Light Motors but kept Joseph Barton, appointing him as works manager. By 1907 the first Douglas motorcycles appeared with the Barton inspired engine. The Douglas twin engine proved its reliability and smooth running by winning the 1912 Junior TT and then in 1914 winning the team prize in that year's International Six Days Trial. This brought the name of Douglas to the attention of the War Office and a series of War Office contracts resulted in the manufacture of at least 25,000 of their 350cc horizontally opposed twins for military use throughout World War One, second only to Triumph with their Model H singles. In 1922 a Douglas ridden by Cyril Pullin became the first 500cc machine to achieve the magic 100mph in an hour and in 1923 Tom Sheard won the Senior TT with Freddie Dixon winning the Sidecar event. By 1926, with dirt track racing established in Australia, Douglas machines were already achieving success. Then in 1928 with the explosion of interest in dirt track racing getting under way in England after that first really successful event in February, Douglas was immediately established as the dominant machine with the 498cc DT5 and 600cc DT6 models selling in large numbers. In 1929 alone at least 1,200 were sold. The Douglas became the most spectacular, the most popular and the most successful mount on cinder tracks.

The twin cylinder Douglas had its own unique spine tingling sound from the open pipes, a thunderous roar on full song. One of the biggest draws of the sport was the prospect of four DT Douglas machines in a single race. The standard DT 500cc produced around 27bhp but for an extra £10 the engine could be super tuned by the legendary Freddie Dixon who eventually squeezed 34bhp from the engine. Whilst hugely successful initially the rein of Douglas was short lived. In 1928 Rudge introduced their first offering which whilst not so successful to begin with soon established itself with rapid development, gradually eclipsing the Douglas.

This DT Douglas, frame number TF 576, joined The Forshaw Collection in 1982 when it was purchased from Mr Walter Green (presumably the former speedway rider who finished second in the 1950 World Championship final). Having been restored to a very high standard this machine won a Special Award at the International Classic Bike Show in 1986. There is an accompanying file containing photographs, publication extracts and an original Douglas catalogue. The mechanical condition is not known and therefore we recommend re-commissioning and/or restoration to a greater or lesser extent.
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