Vintage Motor Brands BSA Goldstar Clubman DBD 34 1:6

Vintage Motor Brands 1:6 diecast and resin model of the BSA Goldstar Clubman DBD 34.

The Gold Star originally got its name from Wal Handley’s 100 mph lap of the Brooklands circuit in 1937, for which he was awarded the traditional Gold Star prize. It served as an inspiration for the company, who first applied the Gold Star badge to an M24 model. It was a model that stayed in production right up to the war.

The Gold Star that VMB has replicated is the 500 cc DBD 34 that was first introduced in 1956, and stayed in production until 1963. The bike came with clip-on handlebars, a finned alloy engine, a chrome-plated fuel tank, a 1 1/2" Amal carburettor, and a swept-back exhaust. It had a top speed of 110 mph, and in its first season it dominated the Isle of Man Clubman’s TT.

We’ve been involved with VMB’s process of replicating the Gold star from the very beginning. We wanted to get the model just right, and so in our book there was nowhere else to go but to Norfolk, and the workshops of Gold Star guru, Phil Pearson. We photographed an original bike, taking hundreds of shots of it from almost every conceivable angle. Phil is a gold mine of information, and although his initial input was invaluable, it was his help in critiquing the later prototypes that made sure we got the bike just about perfect.

The end result is a model of which we and VMB can be rightly proud. Nobody has produced a 1:6 collector-quality replica of the DBD 34 before, and we reckon that it’s good enough to take pride of place in any collection.

The Gold Star is restricted to a limited edition of just 999 pieces worldwide, but only 400 have actually been produced. As a general rule, replicas of both cars and bikes are being produced in such tiny quantities these days that we nearly always advise ordering a piece as soon as it is announced. But with this BSA the situation is a little more relaxed. Of the 400 originally produced, some 300 pieces currently sit in VMB’s warehouse in Europe.

Frankly, we expect to be far and away the largest seller of the bike. We would anticipate getting through the 300 pieces by Christmas, but if a Japanese or American buyer were to step in, we could well find that the bikes disappear sooner than we expect. Measures 33cm in length.