Description
This motorcycle is Lot 375 to be auctioned by Bonhams at The Autumn Stafford Sale (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show) on October 10th – 11th, please see the Bonhams Motorcycles Website for full details.
Auction Timings:
Lots 201 - 407 are to be sold from 11AM local time on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Public Viewing:
Available 10th & 11th October 2026 from 09:00 until 17:00, at The Staffordshire County Showground (The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show).
Lot 375
c. 1921 Douglas 2¾hp Colonial Model
Registration no. BP 2708
Frame no. 19378
Engine no. 19533
The Bristol-based Douglas Foundry took up motorcycle production in 1907 with a machine designed by Joseph Barter, whose Fairy motorcycle had used components supplied by Douglas. Like the Fairy, the first Douglas was powered by a horizontally-opposed, twin-cylinder engine, and the company would keep faith with this layout until it ceased motorcycle production in 1957. Fore-and-aft installation made for a slim machine with a low centre of gravity, and the design's virtues were soon demonstrated in competition, 2¾hp Douglas machines taking 1st, 2nd and 4th places in the 1912 Junior TT in the Isle of Man. Douglas were quick to realise the advantages of the countershaft gearbox, its three-speed entries gaining the Team Prize in the 1914 Six Days Trial, a conspicuous success that resulted in the firm obtaining a wartime contract for the supply of military machines. Douglas' success continued after The Great War.
On file is a letter from West Sussex County Council dated December 1954 stating that 'Douglas motor cycle BP 2708 was first registered under the Motor Car Act 1903 on the 21st December 1914', thus placing it in today's 'Veteran' category. One of the rare survivors of the marque's early era, it is a 'Colonial' model, the term referring to machines 'beefed up' to cope with the rigours of travelling in Britain's overseas colonies. For many years this early Douglas was displayed in the showroom at W H Balderston's motorcycle dealership in Peterborough. Its previous history is not known, although the old-style continuation logbook on file lists the owner in 1955 as a Mr Thomas Gee of Eye, Peterborough. Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will need recommissioning before returning to the road. Offered with the aforementioned continuation logbook and an old V5.
£4, 000 - 6, 000
All lots are sold ‘as is/ where is’ and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness, mileage, engine capacity and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
