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Douglas, Circa 1911, Future Primitive. The Bristol-based…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Auckland
Date:
18-Mar-2009
Lot No.
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Description:
Douglas, Circa 1911, Future Primitive. The Bristol-based Douglas Foundry took up motorcycle production in 1907, three or four years before this machine was created. There is something quite remarkable about a find such as this very early Douglas. Putting aside the validity of its design, whose fore and aft piston installation created a slim machine with a low, attractive and successful centre of gravity, and the early competitive success (the design took first, second and fourth place in the 1912 Junior Tt on the infamous Isle of Man). What is so attractive about this machine is the fact it has endured. More importantly, the few known owners of the machine had the foresight to let it be. The adage 'don't fix what ain't broke' is stretched to its limit here. On close inspection, one can actually inhale every mile of this machine. The current owner layered it in wax grease some 25 years ago and has intermittently ensured that the inners have been well lubricated. The patina is more like a skin that has enveloped the past 98 odd years, since it was carefully hand built and rolled out of the foundry. Whichever way you look at it, this machine has mana.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Motor Vehicles: Motor Cycles