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When I was first active in the V-CC in the seventies there were a surprising number of DPs at events - The annual Herne Hill meeting used to have at least one event exclusively for DPs.
This puzzled me at the time because I don't think there ever were very many of them. My grandfather, who was racing when they were current, knew about them but thought they were daft. I think they are rather like open top cars - if you look at a list of Morris 1000s for sale, you would get the impression that about half the production were tourers, but in fact they were always rare (and expensive) so they were often cherished and so have survived in bigger numbers than might have been expected. I think the same happened with Dursleys - the few that were sold were never ridden much, but were carefully stored because they were rare and expensive.
From what I can remember, the originals were beautifully made with many special parts. The tubing was ultra light and I believe they were soft soldered, which meant stoving could cause disaster. It's possible this is an urban myth - a stoving oven only needs to go up to 120 centigrade. Modern replicas seem to be quite different - I suspect they're made of standard tubing and are obviously fitted with standard parts, so they give the visual impression of the real thing, but they're a bit like a modern 'tudorbethan ' house.
Finally, a question - how do you honk on a Dursley?
clubman-
What characteristically lovely post my friend - we’ve come to expect nothing less from you - with excellent detail and (I say this with deference and respect) ... unique perspective.
I have test ridden a gem of a repro - a lovely example of a version known as ‘The Cheltenham Pedersen’, these were made in the 80s under license, and from my limited experience of them it seemed beautifully light and very ‘lively’. I really did prevaricate as it was a lovely machine. but didn’t buy.
What you’re saying about why so many early examples survive rings true - I worked on a film about Morgan cars a while back, and legend has it that it’s thought none of them have been lost! I find this very hard to believe, but like MGs and Dursley Pedersens and other curiosities, they are loved.
Skülly
Thanks! I am currently looking at a more modern version, hoping to test ride it in the near future.
To be honest, the responsibility of have a 120year old one might be a bit much for me ...
Also I would imagine the price ought to be quite a lot for a genuine Dursley Pedersen.