9781422285152

Brough Superior

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In 1919, George Brough set out to begin manufacturing his own motorcycles after parting company with his father WE Brough who had been building Brough machines for a number of years. George Brough wanted to build a much more luxurious machine compared to the reliable and quite pedestrian vehicles that his father made. After George had finished designing his motorcycle he named it the Brough Superior. As well as being more luxurious, it was also much more expensive than any previous Brough vehicles. George Brough presented his motorcycle at the Olympia Motor Show in 1920 and, after receiving sufficient interest, he began production the following year. This first motorcycle was fitted with an OHV JAP engine; a handful of models used the Swiss Motosacoche V-twin and

aircraft components to help with the ongoing war effort. He continued to do business, building precision engineering tools and Brough Superior parts for many years before his death in 1969. The Brough Superior has become an extremely sought-after motorcycle by collectors. They have always been rare and expensive machines. During the 1920s, prices for one of these motorcycles ranged from £130 to £180 and only the wealthy were able to afford a Brough Superior. They are valued today at anything from £27,000 to over £2,000,000. “A skittish motorbike with a touch of blood in it is better than all the riding animals on earth.” Lawrence of Arabia

the Barr and Stroud sleeve-valve engine before the introduction of the SS80 (Super Sports) in 1935 where Brough opted for a more reliable Matchless engine. Around 400 SS100 models were produced in 1925 with 100 of these being fitted with Matchless engines. In 1938 Brough produced the legendary Golden Dream model, which was an elegant four- cylinder design motorcycle finished in its distinctive gold colour. Brough also had a number of racing speed record successes. In 1938, during a speed record attempt in Budapest, one motorcycle achieved an astonishing 180mph. However, there was to be no record set as the rider, Eric Fernihough, was sadly killed on the return run after his bike crashed. With the start of World War II, Brough decided to halt all motorcycle production to assemble