The Rex Judd Collection, 1914 Sun-Villiers 269cc

• Long term Judd family ownership of at least 76 years
• Complete with Pioneer Certificate
• "...the most reliable little bike which made it to Brighton every time..."

The Birmingham based Sun operation was owned by the Parkes family who cashed in on the late nineteenth century cycling boom. They started making ordinary (penny farthing) cycles in 1885 and also established a cast lug and frame making plant. This was a lucrative move, for soon they were supplying frames, tubing, and cast lugs to rival cycle manufacturers. In 1911, well-resourced because of their successful cycle activities, Sun branched out into motorcycles and made an agreement with Frank Baker to build Sun motorcycles powered by his Precision engines. Two years later they made a similar arrangement with Villiers which spawned the Sun-Villiers machines. Initially these were powered by the 349cc four stroke engine, followed soon afterwards by Villiers new 269cc two stroke - as seen in this motorcycle. In addition to supplying components to other manufacturers, Sun supplied complete motorcycles with proprietary engines to other firms which could be branded according to the wishes of the customer. These included the Federal and Federation motorcycles marketed by the Co-op. The company continued trading until 1961 when it was sold to the Raleigh Industries Group.

This Sun-Villiers is supplied with a V5C, V5, and an old buff logbook dating from 27.2.1950 which shows the date of first registration as 12.3.1921 and Rex Judd as the only recorded keeper. As a result of what appear to be DVLA transcription errors, the V5 & V5C show the engine number as 3429 instead of 2429, and the year of first registration as 1931 instead of 1921, despite both details being correctly recorded in the buff logbook, but please note that all the above registration documents incorrectly list the make as "Sun Villiois", and the engine capacity as 249cc rather than 269cc. Also supplied are multiple expired tax discs most of which date from the 1920s, a 2011 invoice for a magneto overhaul, and a current Pioneer Certificate dating from 2011, on which the frame number is incorrectly quoted as A11238. It is nice to see that the bike has retained its Cambridgeshire registration number.

We are indebted to Richard Rosenthal for his help and insights into the history of Sun-Villiers. The "A" prefix to the frame number of this machine indicates that it was manufactured in 1914 for the 269cc Villiers engine. The Sun-Villiers was ridden in the 1950 Pioneer Run by eighteen-year-old Peter Judd. He was accompanied by his father who that day rode a Wilkinson. More recently it was ridden in the 2011, 2012, and 2014 Pioneer Runs. Paul Sands who rode it in 2011 and 2012 said: "it was the most reliable little bike which made it to Brighton every time with no problems".

The engine turns over, but the motorcycle's mechanical condition is unknown, and following a long period in storage, recommissioning or possibly more extensive work will be required before its next great adventure. 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.