In 1919 motorcycle engineer, racer and entrepreneur George Brough launched Brough Superior Motorcycles in Nottingham, England. For the next 20 years Brough created crowd-stopping, beautiful machines for the most demanding of riders.
The first Brough Superior was put on sale to the public in 1921, and the new marque swiftly built an incredible reputation for itself, based on a formidable combination of unrivalled performance, dazzling looks and competition wins. The Brough Superior SS100 was arguably the finest and fastest production motorcycle of its day and was known as the “Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles” for many years. This "unofficial" title is attributed to H. D. Teague. of "The Motor Cycle" newspaper.
The company enjoyed a brief existence between the two World Wars, selling motorcycles that cost as much as a decent house in a good location! Brough Superior was renowned for delivering a level of performance, quality of manufacture and rideability that its rivals could never match. This was a much-vaunted product that actually lived up to its promotion. Brough combined superlative workmanship with astonishing performance, and functional elegance was mated with practical engineering. These were the first true Superbikes in motorcycle history.
From the start Brough Superior was extraordinarily successful in competition (George Brough rode himself), excelling in every kind of race, sprint, trial and hill climb, on tarmac, sand, shale and even ice. Brough Superior motorcycles were sold in every continent of the world.
The SS100 was the top of the line model from Brough Superior and each was built to individual owner specification. The handlebars were shaped to suit the size and reach of the client. When building each Brough Superior, the bike would be;
- Assembled and run to check tolerances
- Disassembled for final adjustments
- Nickel-plated
- Reassembled
Before delivery, each SS100 was test ridden to 100+ mph by a Brough Superior staff rider, and each motorcycle shipped to the customer with a guarantee that they were capable of 100 mph.
One of the most famous customers of George Brough was T E Lawrence, seen in the photo above speaking to George Brough. Known worldwide as Lawrence of Arabia, he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in 1935.
Oddly enough, the Brough Superior factory didn’t make their own engines and gearboxes. George Brough opted to select the best engines he could find, and pair them with transmissions that could handle their power output. From 1924 to 1936 the twin cam JAP V-twin (made by J. A. Prestwich) was used, and from 1936 to 1940 a Matchless V-twin was used. Production ceased during WWII.
The ‘SS’ model prefix, for Super Sports, is indelibly associated with the marque. George Brough launched the SS80 in 1923. The exclusive SS100 was launched in 1924. Both the SS80 and SS100 used cradle frames that fitted snugly around the muscular motor. The numbers referred to the warranted top speeds of the bikes - from 1925 on each SS100 road bike was supplied with a written guarantee that before delivery it had been timed at 100mph or more over the flying quarter mile.
After WW2 George Brough was unable to source satisfactory engines in order to restart production and so the company was wound down.
The Good News Is:
In line with the growing worldwide trend for retro motorcycles, the Brough Superior is back in production!
Seventy five years after George stopped making motorcycles the new team at Brough Superior has created an extraordinary modern version of the SS100. They have retained all that is best of the original, including of course the iconic saddle tank.
George Brough bequeathed to the world the fastest, most remarkable motorcycles of their day. The new Brough Superior team are proud to recreate his machines and make the Brough Superior name live again.
Brough plans to start production next March in its Toulouse factory of the SS100 Mk2 Euro 4 model introduced in Milan. It will build 250 such bikes in 2018 retailing at a price of Euro 62,900, incl. 20% VAT.
Two variants of the SS100 unveiled at Milan. These both carry the Pendine name, after the Welsh beach which was Britain’s Daytona in the 1920s, hosting many Land Speed Record attempts – including by George Brough himself, who from 1928 on gave the Pendine name to all his racing models.
More information at: www.broughsuperiormotorcycles.com
