You’re looking at a motorcycle that predates most two-wheeled engines on the road today. One of the most mechanically audacious bikes of the veteran era is gearing up to be a centerpiece at Bonhams’ upcoming Rex Judd Collection sale in April this year.
Among the headliner lots in the collection is a circa 1902 Holden 'motor bicycle.' Built by The Motor Traction Company Ltd under the Holden name, it is a truly remarkable piece of motorcycling history. Its age, novelty, and sheer mechanical curiosity could send collectors over the Moon.
The Holden is fitted with a gargantuan 1,172.8cc flat-four engine, representing one of the earliest experiments in high-cylinder motorcycle design. Talk about the sheer audacity of packaging four cylinders in an era when single and twin-cylinder machines were the norm.
Conceived and patented in the mid-1890s by engineer Colonel Henry Capel Lofft Holden and produced by The Motor Traction Company Ltd. of London, this engine layout placed two pairs of opposing cylinders horizontally in a flat configuration. Interestingly, the 1895 prototype Holden is widely regarded as the first two-wheeled British motorcycle.
While early versions of the motorcycle were air-cooled, the 1902 iteration (that you see here) started employing water cooling. A notable technical refinement in an era when most engines overheated rapidly under stress.
The engine was mounted on a primitive frame, with one tiny rear wheel. And, in a departure from the belt-driven machines of the day, the rear wheel was connected directly via connecting rods and crank pins, effectively making the rear wheel also act like a flywheel.
Inspired by locomotive engineering, that direct drive worked well for power transmission, but it had a big issue. It made low-speed control exceptionally difficult – a quirk many riders back in the day would have encountered due to the lack of clutch systems or multiple gears.
Above the engine are three triangular cases: the ignition system's trembler coil and battery in the rear, the water tank in the middle, and the gasoline tank, which also has a surface carburetor, sits in the front. The Holden's four-cylinder engine revved higher than most motorcycles of that age. The tiny diameter of the rear wheel was clearly affected by the need for proper gearing for an engine like this.
While most 1,000cc+ motors of modern times clock impressive three-digit top speeds, the Holden was quite the opposite. Keep in mind that the legal speed limit at the time was only 12 mph (around 20 km/h), although manufacturers did state that the motorcycle could be adjusted from walking pace to 25–30 mph (40-48 km/h). It is also said that the bike could produce 3 horsepower, though there’s hardly any documentation to support these claims.
Visually, the motorcycle looks like an amalgamation of a bicycle and a steam traction engine. And because motorcycles of this era were essentially motorized bicycles, many controls, including ignition settings and spark timing, were integrated directly into the handlebar fittings – long before standardized levers and switches existed.
Production of Holden machines ceased by 1902 as the design was eclipsed by rapidly evolving technologies and lighter, more practical engines from other manufacturers. Though I think pricing was a key reason that the motorcycle didn’t sell in big numbers. In 1902, a Holden cost £75 in the UK, whereas most of the competition was priced between £40 and £45.
Apparently, Rex Judd acquired a Holden around the late 1920s or early '30s. He rode it in the 1938 Pioneer Run. He made only one unofficial stop to refill his water tank while completing the run to Brighton, and finished with a silver medal.
Motorcycles from the dawn of the internal-combustion age are extremely uncommon at auction, and those with unusual engineering stories tend to draw serious attention from collectors. Bonhams’ listing mentions an estimated auction price between £40,000 - £70,000 (US$54,000 - $95,000).
When it goes under the hammer at Bonhams’ Spring Stafford Sale in late April, it could well exceed $100,000 once buyer’s premiums are included.
Source: Bonhams
