The Rex Judd Collection, c.1925 Douglas Brooklands Special

Gearbox no. SG152

• Stunning Douglas Brooklands Special
• Long term Judd family ownership
• Almost certainly a unique machine

Powered by their trademark horizontally opposed twin cylinder engines, Douglas were a force to be reckoned with in the years before and after the First World War. They finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 1912 Junior TT and, along with Triumph, went on to become one of the two largest suppliers of motorcycles to the armed forces in the 1914-18 conflict. In the years that followed, works riders of the calibre of Cyril Pullen, Tom Sheard, Rex Judd, and Freddie Dixon achieved many major competition successes.

At the end of 1922 Rex Judd left his job with 'Wizard' O'Donovan and joined Douglas. He raced for them at Brooklands, on the Isle of Man, and elsewhere, set multiple speed records, and was involved in a lot of development work, both at Brooklands and the Douglas factory in Bristol. 1927 was his last full racing season, and in 1928 his title was 'Supervisor of racing machines, races, and track work'. He left the company in 1930.

This stunning 'Brooklands Special' Douglas has, at different times, been on display in the Rex Judd dealership in Edgware, the Montagu Motor Museum at Beaulieu (in the 1960s), and Whitewebbs Museum near Enfield. According to its Whitewebbs placard it

'was built at the Brooklands workshop and the Douglas factory at Bristol by Rex Judd for the Dobson brothers to use in 1928. It gained a gold badge for lapping at over 100mph. It came back into Rex Judd's hands via Mike Hawthorn's father's garage at Brooklands in the early 1950s, and was rebuilt by Brian Buckland an employee of Rex Judd, at their workshops in Edgware....fitted with a 750cc engine...'

However, some questions have arisen over the 1928 date and the 750cc engine capacity.

What is not in doubt is that by the end of the 1920s changes were afoot at Brooklands. The economic situation was deteriorating as the world spiralled into the Depression and the manufacturers, oil companies, and accessory suppliers were all tightening their purse strings. The trade stopped paying bonuses and the days of the full-time professional riders would soon be over. The 1930s would be the era of the amateur riders. Ex-works machinery and Brooklands specials were highly sought after and sold for high prices. This Brooklands Special, built by none other than the Douglas Brooklands ace Rex Judd, would have certainly commanded such a premium. Research into the winners of Brooklands Gold Stars has indicated that A. C. Dobson won a Gold Star in October 1933 on a 500cc Douglas.

The 1925 TT Duggies were all works machines, although in subsequent years the I.O.M. T.T. Douglas became available as a production model. It is believed that the machine offered here started life as one of those 1925 works bikes, albeit like most racing motorcycles it has evolved over time and has been progressively updated. It isn't known how many 1925 TT machines were produced, but they were also raced at other events such the French GP. Rex Judd was one of six Douglas works riders in the 1925 Senior TT, along with Freddie Dixon, Gus Kuhn, Vic Anstice, Santos, and Zacharios. We have scrutinised many photographs of Rex Judd on his Douglas competition machines at Brooklands, but none of them depict him on this motorcycle. In the period between 1925 and 1928 most of the photographs seem to show him on two machines which are thought to be OB and OC based specials with frequent changes to many of the components.

We would like to thank Roger Bird, Eddie Morley, and Doug Kephart, for their help in cataloguing this machine. Doug's very detailed observations regarding this Brooklands Special appear online – please see lot images. Amongst many other things he suggests that the cylinder barrels look more like 500cc items than 750cc, although the only way to be sure will be to remove them for checking. Likewise, he considers that some of the components are later than the 1928 date mentioned on the Whitewebbs placard. It seems therefore that either the Dobson brothers engaged Rex Judd to update the machine in the years following their purchase, or that it was constructed for them later than 1928. We can perhaps assume that although he left the company in 1930, Rex Judd would still have had sufficiently strong connections there to enable him to access the latest trick parts and components.

Following a long period in storage, recommissioning or possibly more extensive work will be required before the bike is fired up. 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.