Lot 367: 1957 Douglas 348cc Dragonfly

An extensively redesigned flat twin replaced Douglas’s earlier models in 1955. Known as the Dragonfly, the newcomer featured a revised engine with stronger crankcase, single carburettor, alternator electrics and coil ignition. The duplex swinging-arm frame employed conventional Girling dampers in place of the preceding torsion bar set-up, while the old Radiadraulic front fork was dropped in favour of an Earles-type leading-link arrangement. The large headlamp nacelle extending back to the five-gallon fuel tank was a distinctive feature, though one of dubious practical merit as the light unit did not turn with the handlebars. Douglas’s final model, the Dragonfly did not receive the development it deserved, production ceasing in March 1957 following the company’s take-over by Westinghouse. Together with the 1949 Douglas MkIII (Lot 368) this matching-numbers Dragonfly was painstakingly restored by Nottingham-based engineer, Colin Lowther and after completion featured in Classic Bike magazine (September 1982 issue). Acquired directly from Colin Lowther, the machine has not been used since the mid-1980s. Offered with old-style Swansea V5 and current V5C documents.