REX-ACME™ MOTOR CO.

A Short History of the King

Born from Coventry ingenuity and good-old Birmingham craft, Rex-Acme mixed luxury with speed, producing elegant, race-bred motorcycles that left their mark on the Isle of Man and on British automobile design between 1922 and 1933.

Rex-Acme emerged when two respected Midlands makers — Rex Motor Manufacturing of Birmingham/Coventry and Coventry-Acme — combined after the First World War. The new marque offered light, beautifully finished machines powered by engines from JAP, Blackburne, Barr & Stroud (sleeve-valve), Sturmey-Archer and Villiers, alongside a few of its own designs. Their reputation was burnished on the hardest stage of all: the Isle of Man TT, where the young phenomenon Wal Handley delivered landmark victories.

"The King of British Motors" became a by-word for poised engineering, lacquer-polished tanks, and purposeful speed.

Coventry & Birmingham 1922—1933 Isle of Man TT Sleeve-valve & OHV Wal Handley

Artifacts & Machines

Rex-Acme 350cc with Barr & Stroud sleeve-valve engine
Rex-Acme 350 cc with Barr & Stroud sleeve-valve engine. Image: Yesterdays Antique Motorcycles / CC BY-SA 4.0
Rex 1902 Advertisement
Rex 1902 Advertisement. Image: Rob Orland / Coventry's Motorcar Heritage
Rex-Acme 1926 Advertisement for 1927 Rex-Acme Blackburne
Rex-Acme 1926 Advertisement for 1927 Rex-Acme Blackburne. Image: Motorcycle and Motorcycle (motorcycleandmotorcycle.blogspot.com)
1915 Rex and Acme Collaboration Specimen
1915 Rex and Acme Collaboration Specimen. Image: Morton's Media

Milestones

1900–1902
Rex & Acme take shape

Rex emerges from Birmingham/Coventry workshops; Acme (Coventry-Acme) builds early motor-bicycles using Minerva/Automoto engines. Rex styles itself the "King of British Motors".

1906–1914
Innovation run

Rex pioneers telescopic forks (1906), experiments with rotary-valve motors, and lowers frame top-tubes for better ergonomics; Acme patents a sprung frame (1916).

1919–1922
From rivals to Rex-Acme

Post-WWI rationalisation leads Rex and Acme to combine lines; by 1922 the merged marque "Rex-Acme" is established in Coventry.

1924–1928
Wal Handley era

Prodigy Wal Handley becomes Rex-Acme's headline rider and briefly a director. In 1925 he wins two TT races in a single week — a first — cementing the company's racing prestige.

1925–1927
TT Sports & Blackburne singles

Introduction of the TT Sports model in homage to Handley's wins; lightweight 173–350 cc machines with Blackburne singles and exotic Barr & Stroud sleeve-valves appear alongside JAP and Villiers-powered variants.

1932–1933
The End of the Final Chapter

Amid market headwinds the name passes to sidecar maker Mills-Fullford; Rex-Acme motorcycle production ceases by 1933. The legacy — elegant speed — endures.

Signature Details

  • Finely finished tanks and frames with tasteful pin-striping; purposeful clubman stance.
  • Engines sourced from the best specialists of the day (JAP, Blackburne, Villiers, Barr & Stroud sleeve-valve) plus select in-house units.
  • Road bikes influenced by race development from the Isle of Man TT — quick steering and robust cycle parts.
Rex-Acme New Logo

Future

Echoing the legacy of Coventry ingenuity and Birmingham craftsmanship that defined the original marque, Rex GDN Limited reignited the Rex-Acme name in 2025 with a vision to blend heritage prestige with modern innovation. Like its predecessor—which carved a legend on the Isle of Man with Walter Handley's historic 1925 and 1927 TT victories—the revived brand draws inspiration from an era where elegance and racing pedigree converged. Between 1922 and 1933, Rex-Acme motorcycles embodied technical daring, from their distinctive purple tanks adorned with the three-legged emblem to their pioneering use of engines like Blackburne, JAP, and even Barr & Stroud's sleeve-valve units. Rex GDN channels this spirit, aiming not for replication but reinterpretation: advanced electric powertrains and sustainable materials now complement the classic design philosophy that once made Rex-Acme synonymous with speed and sophistication. Yet the core ethos remains—crafting machines that balance artistic detail with track-bred performance, much like the original "Blue Devil" racer that defied conventions in Muriel Hind's hands. In resurrecting a name silenced by the Great Depression, Rex GDN honors a lineage where luxury and competition were inseparable, ensuring that the roar of Rex-Acme, once born in Osborne Road's workshops, resonates anew.

Further Reading

Selected sources that inform this page:

  • Rex-Acme overview (origins, 1922 merger, closure 1933) — British Motorcycle Charitable Trust references.
  • Wal Handley achievements and TT records — Wal Handley profile & TT archives.
  • Acme & Rex marque notes — Sheldon's EMU and Historic Coventry research features.
  • Model notes incl. TT Sports — National Motor Museum collections.

Image credits upon request.