The Gold Star’s beginnings are closely tied to the career of another star: Wal Handley, a British motorcycle racer. Handley had been working with motorcycles from an early age, joining Humphries & Dawes in 1921 in his late teens. By 1937, Handley’s racing prowess was so well-regarded that he was selected for a high-profile race on a unique steed: the Brooklands contest atop a BSA Empire Star topping out at 33bhp. It was a formidable machine for its time, and in Handley’s capable hands, it reached 107.57 mph on one lap.
In “Cafe Racers: Speed, Style, and Ton-Up Culture,” Michael Lichter and Paul d’Orleans explain the true importance of this achievement in this context. With an average lap speed of over 100 mph, the performance was worth “an actual gold star for its rider, a small star pin with enameled ‘100.’” A simple pin it may have been on the surface, but this prize seemed to become a symbol of the pace of BSA’s motorcycles. The following year, the M24 Gold Star was released, named for that very same gold star.
The model, deemed by Lichter and d’Orleans to be “essentially a Brooklands Replica with lights,” was quite a powerhouse, as would be expected.
