The Rex Judd Collection, c.1910 Wilkinson 676cc T.A.C. Project

• Judd family ownership of over 75 years
• Perhaps the most luxurious of veteran motorcycles
• A very rare survivor

In the early years of the twentieth century the long-established Wilkinson Sword company, known for its guns, swords, bayonets, and razor blades, looked to diversify into cars, and then motorcycles. In 1903 they built motorcycles powered by Belgian Antoine engines, but this project was short lived. With their long-standing links to the military the company thought that there could be a possibility of supplying motorcycles to the army, and in 1908 they supplied a machine for testing, but despite the option of a handlebar mounted machine gun, orders were not forthcoming. Following this rebuttal they came up with a luxury motorcycle designated the Wilkinson T.A.C. (Touring Auto Cycle) which was exhibited at the 1909 Stanley Show. For the time it had a truly remarkable specification including such features as a four cylinder engine, a three speed gearbox, front and rear suspension, drum brakes on both wheels, shaft drive, a low armchair seat with long wide footboards and a feet forward riding position, a petrol tank mounted behind the rider on the rear mudguard, and initially the choice of handlebars or a steering wheel!

THE MOTORCYCLE's February 1911 roadtest was headed 'The Motorcyclist's Mercedes'. This was echoed a few months later in a Wilkinson advert with the slogan 'The Comfort of a Car with the Speed and Economy of a Motorcycle'. Meanwhile the T.A.C. sales brochure claimed that it was 'by far the most comfortable bicycle on the road'. This was probably true given its front and rear suspension and armchair seat. In 1912 the T.A.C. was replaced by the new T.M.C. (Touring Motor Cycle), the most notable change being the use of a larger water-cooled engine. Wilkinson motorcycle production ended during the First World War and did not resume afterwards.

In a 1985 letter, the late John Arlett, Wilkinson Sword company historian, wrote that the total Wilkinson motorcycle production across all years & models was likely to have been between 125 and 150. It is thought that perhaps no more than three T.A.C.s survive including this one. We thank Richard Mummery, Stefano Milani, Pasquale Mesto, and Maddie Matei in the VMCC Library for their help and insights into Wilkinson motorcycles. It should be noted that Rex Judd owned at least two Wilkinsons in his lifetime: this T.A.C. and a T.M.C. combination which is believed to have been sold when he thinned out his collection at some point in the 1950s. He ran both Wilkinsons under the same Vehicle Registration Number DL 837. This number is believed to pertain to the T.M.C. combination which still survives, and therefore this machine is offered unregistered.

We don't know exactly when Rex Judd acquired the T.A.C., but it was probably before the war. Along with his Holden, the T.A.C. is listed against Rex Judd's name in the programme for the VMCC's 1951 Rally at Newlands Corner. It is accompanied by various drawings, a photo of Rex Judd standing beside the machine, a reproduction sales brochure, and some transfers. Please note that this Wilkinson is incomplete: some parts are missing, though we don't know exactly which. Its mechanical condition is unknown, and it is offered for restoration. Nonetheless this is a rare opportunity to acquire one of the most luxurious motorcycles of the veteran era.

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.