New Hudson

New Hudson was a British motorcycle manufacturer associated with Birmingham and active across several distinct phases of the twentieth-century motorcycle industry. The business was founded in 1903 by George Patterson, although its first motorcycle had reportedly been produced in 1902 and was not successful. The company subsequently developed a broader range of motorcycles and became part of the expanding British manufacturing scene that grew around small internal-combustion engines, cycle components, and powered two-wheelers. Between approximately 1910 and 1915, New Hudson expanded its motorcycle range and used engines supplied by JAP, an important British engine maker. Its products included single-cylinder motorcycles using both side-valve and overhead-valve configurations, with engine capacities ranging from 350 cc to 600 cc. The company also produced a 211 cc two-stroke model and built a number of three-wheelers fitted with MAG engines. This mix of conventional motorcycles, smaller two-strokes, and three-wheeled vehicles reflected the variety of formats used by British manufacturers before the market consolidated around more standardized motorcycle designs. During the First World War, New Hudson's factory joined the wider British industrial war effort. Motorcycle production was interrupted until 1919, after which the marque returned to civilian manufacturing. The company continued to develop performance-oriented motorcycles, and its name gained particular recognition through competition activity. In 1927, rider Bert le Vack reportedly set a 100-mile-per-hour record at Brooklands on a 500 cc New Hudson, a significant achievement for a British motorcycle manufacturer of the period and an important part of the marque's sporting history. New Hudson stopped motorcycle production in 1932. The firm then changed its name to Girling Ltd, a business that became associated with brake components and continued to exist in that industrial field. The New Hudson name nevertheless returned to motorcycles after the Second World War. In this later period the marque operated as a subsidiary of the Birmingham Small Arms Company, better known as BSA, and produced autocycles. These lightweight, economical machines were suited to postwar transport demand and represented a shift away from the larger prewar motorcycles for which the company had also been known. Postwar New Hudson autocycles were regarded as successful, but production under the marque ended in 1957. New Hudson is therefore best understood as a historic British motorcycle and autocycle brand rather than a continuing independent manufacturer. Its historical importance rests on its Birmingham origins, the breadth of its early product range, its association with JAP and MAG engines, its Brooklands record, and its later relationship with BSA and the British autocycle market.

New Hudson emerged in Birmingham during the formative period of the British motorcycle industry. George Patterson founded the company in 1903, while the first New Hudson motorcycle is dated to 1902; that initial machine was unsuccessful. The company nevertheless continued developing motorcycles and expanded its range during the years before the First World War. From 1910 to 1915, New Hudson used JAP engines and offered motorcycles in several configurations, including side-valve and overhead-valve single-cylinder models with capacities between 350 cc and 600 cc. It also produced a 211 cc two-stroke and built some three-wheelers using MAG engines. The First World War interrupted the company's motorcycle activity as the factory participated in wartime production. Motorcycle manufacturing resumed after 1919, when New Hudson returned to the civilian market. The marque also pursued sporting visibility. In 1927, Bert le Vack achieved a reported 100-mile-per-hour record at Brooklands on a 500 cc New Hudson, linking the company with the period's high-speed motorcycle competition. New Hudson ended motorcycle production in 1932 and subsequently changed its corporate name to Girling Ltd. Girling became associated with brake components and survived beyond the New Hudson motorcycle business. The New Hudson marque was revived for motorcycle production after the Second World War, this time within the Birmingham Small Arms Company group. Its later products were principally autocycles, lightweight machines suited to economical personal transport in the postwar period. These autocycles were successful, but production under the New Hudson name ended in 1957. The brand is now a defunct historic marque, remembered through surviving motorcycles, autocycle examples, period advertising, competition history, and enthusiast preservation.

1. 1957Autocycle production ends

   Production of successful New Hudson autocycles ended, concluding the marque's documented motorcycle manufacturing history.

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2. 1945Postwar marque returns

   After the Second World War, motorcycles were again made under the New Hudson name, with the marque operating as a BSA subsidiary.

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3. 1932Motorcycle production ends

   New Hudson stopped motorcycle production and changed its name to Girling Ltd.

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4. 1927Brooklands speed record

   Bert le Vack reportedly reached 100 miles per hour at Brooklands on a 500 cc New Hudson motorcycle.

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5. 1919Postwar motorcycle production resumes

   The factory returned to motorcycle production after its wartime involvement.

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6. 1915Prewar range development

   By the end of the documented 1910–1915 expansion period, New Hudson offered several single-cylinder motorcycle formats as well as smaller and three-wheeled vehicles.

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7. 1910Range expansion begins

   New Hudson expanded its motorcycle range during the period from 1910 to 1915, including machines powered by JAP engines.

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8. 1903Company founded in Birmingham

   George Patterson founded New Hudson as a British motorcycle manufacturing business in Birmingham.

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9. 1902First New Hudson motorcycle

   The first motorcycle associated with New Hudson was produced, although the machine was not successful.

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A historic British motorcycle marque positioned around practical and performance-oriented powered two-wheelers, with products ranging from larger single-cylinder motorcycles to lightweight autocycles and three-wheelers.

• JAP-engined motorcyclesMotorcycles1910

  New Hudson expanded its range between 1910 and 1915 with motorcycles using JAP engines. These machines formed part of the company's prewar development and reflected the common practice of British motorcycle manufacturers using engines from specialist suppliers.

• Single-cylinder motorcyclesMotorcycles

  The company's range included side-valve and overhead-valve single-cylinder motorcycles with engine capacities from 350 cc to 600 cc. These represented New Hudson's principal larger motorcycle offerings during its early twentieth-century period.

• 211 cc two-strokeMotorcycles

  New Hudson also built a 211 cc two-stroke motorcycle, giving the marque a smaller-capacity alternative to its larger single-cylinder models.

• MAG-engined three-wheelersThree-wheelers

  The company produced a number of three-wheelers fitted with MAG engines. These vehicles broadened New Hudson's output beyond conventional two-wheeled motorcycles.

• New Hudson autocyclesAutocycles

  After the Second World War, New Hudson operated as a BSA subsidiary and produced autocycles. The machines were commercially successful within the postwar lightweight transport market, but production under the New Hudson name ended in 1957.

1. New Hudson Motorcycles