Category: Douglas motorcycles

Animal lovers need not look away – this is a Greyhound of the two-wheeled variety, an unusual Douglas machine from 1933. Lot 155 of H&H Classics auction on 12th July at the National Motorcycle Museum is a Douglas D33 Greyhound. The machine – APH 256 – is one of just a handful of this model known to the Club and is listed in the Douglas Machine Register.

The D33 was an updated version of the successful S6/T6 models, designed by Freddie Dixon and launched at the 1929 Olympia Show. While S5/S6 and T5/T6 models from 1930-31 are relatively common, 1933 was a year of financial turmoil for Douglas, with an official Receiver appointed in July of that year. As a result very few 1933 machines were built, with London dealers still trying to move 1932 models at heavily discounted prices.

While I do not generally feature machines at auction in this blog, this is a most unusual example of a 1930s Douglas and appears from the photographs to be in remarkably original condition. I hope that it finds a new owner and a good home – in the LDMCC, of course!

A picture, it is said, is worth a thousand words – and this is never more true than when researching or restoring a motorcycle. This photo is, I believe, a factory shot of a Douglas Mk.3 Sport from 1948 or ’49, which was kindly sent to me by a visitor to this site.

The Mk.3 was introduced in May 1948 and offered in touring and sports versions. The Mk.3 Sport model, shown here, featured lighter section mudguards finished in silver sheen and was available with optional 21in front rim and a four inch section rear tyre. With twin upswept pipes, high-mounted trials-type toolboxes and a lifting handle built into the rear subframe, it was a handsome and purposeful-looking machine. And yours for just £197 17s!

Summer days feel rather distant already, but this brings the warmth of the 2022 show season back! Spotted at the Maldon Museum of Power show in August, this mid-’20s Model CW is a lovely example of a 1920s flat-tanker, and a credit to its owner. The all-chain drive CW, with three-speed countershaft gearbox, was an up-market version of the belt-driven two-speed model TS, and together formed the backbone of Douglas 2.3/4hp range in the mid 1920s, before the popular EW model was introduced in 1926.