Douglas logo

Information about the company Douglas
Founded	1885
Defunct	1957
Founder	William Douglas Edwin Douglas
Headquarters	Kingswood, Bristol, England

History of Douglas motorcycles and logo

The history of Douglas motorcycles started with a man named Barter, who in 1904 created a very clumsy engine, but later appeared with a design for a new improved motor. This engine was used by the Light Motors company, which was established in 1905. Nevertheless, the firm went bankrupt, and Barter began to work with the Douglas brothers. During 1922-1931 the wide model range of Douglas motorcycles had been constantly updated and improved. But the financial position left much to be desired, so a new sponsor of the firm decided to change its name to Douglas Motors in 1932. But unfortunately, it didn`t solve the financial difficulties. In 1934, sales of new motorcycle models were extremely low, so the company had very difficult times. In 1935, the enterprise was sold again, now to the British BCA airline. From 1939 to 1945 the company had been producing aircraft parts, light trucks, and other equipment, but motorcycles were produced very rarely. After the war, the enterprise returned to the production of various motorcycle models, but in 1951 it mostly released scooters under the Italian Vespa brand. In 1954, the firm created a new model range of motorcycles, but in 1956 the Westinghouse Brake and Signal Co enterprise purchased the shares of Douglas. In 1957, motorcycle production was stopped.