Beschreibung:

On Wednesday 30th June 1937, a specially prepared Empire Star 500 ridden by the great Wal Handley achieved a 100mph lap of the Brooklands circuit on its way to a debut race victory and award of the 'Gold Star' that would give BSA's new super sports model its evocative name. Possibly the most successful production racing motorcycle ever, the post-war Gold Star formed the mainstay of clubman's racing in the 1950s. In fact, it was the model's domination of the Isle of Man Clubman's TT which led to the event being dropped after Gold Star rider Bernard Codd's 1956 Senior/Junior double victory. While its trials and scrambles derivatives demonstrated the design's versatility by chalking up an equally impressive record in off-road competition, for the majority of enthusiasts the 500cc DBD34 in Clubman's trim is the epitome of the 'Goldie'. The DBD, the ultimate road going 500 Gold Star, appeared in 1956 when the famous RRT2 close-ratio gearbox and 190mm front brake became standard equipment. From then on BSA's perennially popular sporting single changed little until its much-lamented demise in 1963. Today, the Gold Star remains one of the most highly sought after of post-war British motorcycles and is supported by a most enthusiastic owners' club. Consisting of a 1959 frame and 1960 engine, the example offered here was purchased by the current vendor from one Kenneth F Day, of Freeland, Oxfordshire in 1991, at which time it was registered 'BSK 283' (purchase receipt on file). The Goldie was restored by John Gleed over the course of the next couple of years and would seem to have enjoyed only limited use up to the end of 1999, as evidenced by four expired MoTs on file. Re-registered in 1999 with the most appropriate mark 'DBD 499', the machine comes with a substantial file of history to include sundry restoration invoices; service/technical literature; spares lists; DVLA and GSOC correspondence; spare transfers; expired SORN; and old-style Swansea V5.