The Rex Judd Collection, c.1902 Holden 1,172.8cc

• The Holden – Britain's first two wheeled motorcycle in 1895
• Powered by possibly the first 4 cylinder i.c. engine in any road vehicle
• Ridden by Rex Judd in the 1938 Pioneer Run
• Single family ownership of at least 90 years

This is the story of an extraordinary motorcycle and two remarkable men. The extraordinary motorcycle is a Holden. The remarkable men were Sir Henry Capel Lofft Holden and Rex Judd. The 1895 prototype Holden 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. Incidentally, there is no connection with the Australian car manufacturer of the same name.

Sir Henry Capel Lofft Holden
Sir Henry Capel Lofft Holden (1856–1937) was a military man whose scientific skills enabled major advances in artillery technology and many other spheres. In 1895 he was made a Fellow of The Royal Society in recognition of his work. He retired from the army in 1912, but his services were required once again with the outbreak of war in 1914. Knighted in 1916, by the end of the war he had been promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Away from the army he was a pioneer motorist and a founder member of the RAC. Somehow he also found the time to design the Brooklands racetrack for wealthy Weybridge landowner Hugh Locke King. Complete with banking, this was the world's first purpose built racing circuit which opened in 1907; but before this, back in 1894-95, he had designed, built, and ridden his own motorcycle: the Holden. It is said that he demonstrated it to members of the Officers' Mess in the grounds of The Royal Artillery Woolwich where he was Superintendent of the Carriage Works. At this time Capel Holden had not yet been knighted, and his army rank was lieutenant colonel, hence period references to Colonel Holden's machine.

Development of the Holden
An unknown number of prototype and development Holdens were built between 1895 and 1901 including the one in the Science Museum, which differs in various respects to this later machine. Colonel Holden was a busy man, and getting his motorcycle into full scale production was probably not his top priority. Meanwhile, the eventual manufacturers, The Motor Traction Company of Kennington, suffered a major fire in late 1899, and this must have contributed to the delay in finally getting the machine to market. A detailed analysis of the Holden appeared in the December 1901 issue of AUTOMOTOR JOURNAL. Brooklands and Holden expert Roger Bird suggests that this may have been pre-production publicity designed to generate interest ahead of the upcoming Crystal Palace and Stanley Shows. At this point pedals were fitted to the front wheel, but by the time production commenced they had been deemed unnecessary. Closely resembling the machine in the adverts, Rex Judd's Holden is now thought to be one of these 1902 production machines.

An unusual design
The four cylinder engine would have resulted in a smoother ride than the twin cylinder Hildebrand and Wolfmuller which had emerged in Germany shortly before the Holden. The cylinders are arranged horizontally in the form of two steel tubes with brass water jackets (please note that early prototypes were air cooled). A double ended piston is fitted centrally in each tube. A rod, a bit like a long gudgeon pin, passes through a central hole in each piston and protrudes on each side of the engine through a cutaway in each cylinder. This rod is connected directly to the rear wheel by long cranks on each side, in the style of a steam locomotive. Thus the rear wheel also acts like a flywheel. The Holden's four cylinder engine revved higher than the twin of the Hildebrand and Wolfmuller and obviously required appropriate gearing which dictated the small diameter of the rear wheel. It should also be remembered that the legal speed limit was then just 12 mph. Elsewhere there are three triangular cases above the engine, the front one being the petrol tank which also contained a surface carburettor, the middle one was the water tank, and the rear case contained the ignition system's trembler coil and battery. Roger Bird informs us that the bore and stroke dimensions of the 1902 production machines were 2¼" x 4½", and the 1172.8cc engine capacity quoted above is based on these dimensions. The makers claimed a power output of 3hp, and that the speed could be regulated from walking pace to 25-30mph, however some sources believe these claims were somewhat optimistic.

Market reaction
Reviewing the Crystal Palace Motor Show in February 1902 THE ENGINEER magazine commented: "...all other machines sink into insignificance, in point of originality compared with Colonel Holden's bicycle", but they criticised the small rear wheel and the complicated valve system. It was still advanced in some respects, but motorcycle development was progressing quickly and a different template for the modern motorcycle was beginning to emerge. Perhaps the Holden had already become a blind alley in the evolution of the motorcycle. In 1950 Ixion observed that "its tiny rear wheel was a sad technical blunder". Ten years later James Sheldon wrote: "...by the time production had been organised in 1901 its design was obsolete." The price must also have been a problem: in 1902 a Holden cost £75, whereas most of the competition was priced between £40 and £45. In July 1902 a new Holden owner wrote to MOTORCYCLING magazine remarking that his bike, purchased only the month before, was only the eighth machine to have been built. It must be assumed that sales fell well short of expectations, and production seems to have ceased before the end of the year. The total number of Holdens manufactured isn't known, but it can't have been many.

The Rex Judd Era
It seems likely that Rex Judd acquired his Holden during the 1920s or early '30s. He rode it in the 1938 Pioneer Run, an event which was reported in both the weekly motorcycle magazines. The bike seems to have generated a huge amount of interest in the Epsom Downs paddock. MOTORCYCLING reported "next the Holden four, Rex Judd up, went into action, and very queer it looked, its tiny big-ends twinkling round each side of the back wheel as it got up to speed", while THE MOTORCYCLE wrote: "On the Pease Pottage climb....Rex Judd had to use one leg scooter-fashion to assist his Holden along". Nevertheless, he made only one unofficial stop (to refill his water tank) and completed the run to Brighton, finishing with a silver medal. The photographs indicate that he rode it on trade plates, and given that it is unlikely to have been ridden after 1903 (the 1903 Motor Car Act having become effective on 1st January 1904), it is quite likely that it has never been issued with a registration number.

One difference between this machine and the image in the 1902 adverts is the fitment of solid rubber tyres rather than the pneumatic type. Rapid rear tyre wear was clearly a problem: it is even admitted in the December 1901 AUTOMOTOR JOURNAL article. It seems that the nature of the power delivery coupled with the small diameter of the rear wheel caused flats to wear on opposite faces of the tyre. The maker's handbook suggests that when wear has occurred the cranks should be removed from the rear wheel and re-set 90 degrees further round – always remembering that the ignition cam should be adjusted by the same amount and then re-timed! It may have been this rapid rate of wear that caused the switch to solid rubber tyres, but equally, it may be that no suitable pneumatic tyres of what must have been an oddball size were available. Pneumatic tyres were in place for the 1938 Pioneer Run, so the change to solid rubber must have occurred at a later date.

Later Life
The Holden was a permanent exhibit in Rex Judd's Edgware dealership until the business was sold in 1989. It was then displayed for many years at Whitewebbs Museum in Enfield before being removed for this sale. We know that the engine turns over, but otherwise its mechanical condition is unknown, and we don't know when it was last run. Recommissioning, or possibly more extensive work, will therefore be required before its next great adventure. It is supplied with a small original fold out brochure believed to date from 1902, sundry photocopied period literature, a lapsed 1939 Pioneer Certificate (no. 2), and various more recent photographs, drawings, and sketches. We are indebted to Pasquale Mesto, Nick Smith, Richard Rosenthal, John Bottomley, and especially Roger Bird, for their help with the history of the Holden motorcycle.

This must be the first Holden to have come to the market in a very long time. So, this is an opportunity not to be missed – it might be a long wait before the next one comes along......

Prospective bidders must satisfy themselves regarding the motorcycle's provenance, condition, age, completeness, and originality prior to bidding. Sold strictly as seen.

Key not required.

The Rex Judd Collection
Baby boomer and Gen X motorcyclists from the northwest London area will associate Rex Judd's name with the busy Edgware based motorcycle dealership. Earlier generations, sadly no longer with us, would have remembered Rex Judd the world famous motorcycle racer best known for his exploits at Brooklands in the 1920s. Born on Christmas Day 1899, during WW1 the young Rex served in the RFC which was of course integrated into the RAF. Afterwards, being a motorcycle nut, he hung around the Brooklands track in the hope of a job offer – which duly came, resulting in him passengering a racing sidecar. This led to him joining one of the very best tuners of the day, "Wizard" O'Donovan, with whom he worked on and raced 500cc Nortons and 250cc two stroke Velocettes. In this period he won numerous races and set multiple speed records which included winning the Godfrey Cup for the first 500cc machine to exceed 90mph. He raced the 250cc two stroke Velocettes in the Island in 1921 and 1922 but retired on both occasions.

At the end of 1922 Rex joined Douglas, who were at the height of their powers in the 1920s, and contributed in no small way to their ongoing success. He continued his winning ways and set more speed records both at Brooklands and Arpajon, and raced in the Isle of Man in 1923 and 1925. He didn't have a lot of luck at the TT retiring in all his races except the 1925 Senior when he won the Nisbet Award for pluck. He had crashed on his first lap, breaking off a footrest, was stopped by the stewards at both Ballacraine and Ramsey, and rode the rest of the race with his boot resting on the exhaust, his foot getting badly burnt in the process, and finally finishing 19th and last in a little over four hours. In 1927 he became the 5th rider to achieve a 100+mph lap at Brooklands, and was awarded his Gold Star retrospectively in 1930 when the early achievers of this great feat were recognised. Following an extremely successful racing year Rex stopped racing at the end of 1927, but he continued working with Douglas, one of his titles being 'Supervisor of racing machines, races, and track work'.

No account of Rex Judd's Brooklands years would be complete without mentioning his close friendship with the legendary Freddie Dixon. Dixon left Douglas in 1926 and it was Rex who persuaded him to return in 1928. They obviously had some great and riotous times together. In Charles Mortimer's book 'Brooklands Behind the Scenes' there is an account of J. S. 'Woolly' Worter's Brooklands reminiscences. He was asked by Mortimer what sort of help and support was forthcoming from fellow riders. The answer was 'Comparatively little. Some riders would go to almost any lengths to hinder the up and coming. Dixon and Judd would help anyone at any time'. In relation to Rex Judd he said 'the spirit of good cheer at all times and a good TT as well as a track man'.

In 1927 Rex had become involved with Bob Newitt in a motorcycle dealership in High Wycombe, but this didn't last, and following his departure from Douglas in 1930, he opened his Edgware showroom the following year. As the 1930s progressed and the country finally came out of the Depression Rex Judd Motorcycles held agencies for many of the British manufacturers, and also had a successful business in bicycles and secondhand cars. Rex never lost his love of racing. In 1939 and the years immediately after the war he supported the Pike brothers with their Lightweight TT entries on 250cc Rudges. Later years saw many other riders being sponsored. He actively supported the Brooklands Reunions, was a regular visitor to the Isle of Man, and ran annual staff visits to the Senior TT. In 1963 he was President of the TT Riders Association. Rex became semi-retired after falling ill in 1965 and sadly died in 1970, but the business continued to thrive in the hands of his son Peter, before being sold in 1989. After his father's death Peter asked the Brooklands authorities whether Rex's ashes could be scattered on the track. They refused but he did it anyway.

Peter Judd had started working in the family business in 1948, and was active in trials, scrambles, and grasstracking, but in deference to his mother he didn't follow his father into road racing. By 1960 Peter was really running the business, and foreseeing how things would turn out in the future, it was he who oversaw the arrival of Hondas on the Judd shopfloor around 1963. In the years that followed Suzuki, Yamaha, and Kawasaki were also offered.

A true motorcycle enthusiast to the end of his life, Rex Judd became well known as a collector of early motorcycles. In a five instalment article published in 1944 'MotorCycling' magazine referred to him as 'one of this country's most brilliant racing men' and highlighted 'his phenomenal collection of vintage machines'. The collection was thinned out in the early 1950s, but Bonhams is honoured to have been chosen by the Judd family to offer the eleven remaining machines which make up The Rex Judd Collection at the Spring Stafford Sale on 26th April 2026.