Brough Superior - marque/manufacturer information
List of all Brough Superior cars
Brough Superior (pr. bruff su-peer-ee-or) motorcycles and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England from 1919 to 1940. They were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motorcycle newspaper. Approximately 3048 of 19 models were made in 21 years of production. In 2004, around 1000 still exist. T.E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") owned seven bikes and died from injuries sustained while crashing one. George Bernard Shaw was another among many celebrities that were enthusiastic about Brough products.
George Brough was a racer, designer, and showman. All Brough Superior motorcycles were high performance and superior quality. Most of them were custom made to suit the customers needs, and rarely were any two of the same configuration. Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was for fitting of all components, then the motorcycle was disassembled and all parts were painted or plated as needed. Then the finished parts were assembled a final time. Every motorcycle was test ridden to make sure that each one performed to the specifications of the particular model. Each motorcycle was personally certified by George Brough. The SS100 model was ridden at 100 miles per hour or over before being delivered to the customer. The SS80 model was ridden at 80 miles per hour or over before being delivered. If any motorcycle failed to meet the specifications, the motorcycle was taken back to the shop and worked upon until it performed to the specifications of the particular model. The fit and finish was comparable to a Rolls-Royce automobile. These were some of the most expensive motorcycles in the world.
Brough Superior motorcycles have always been rare and expensive. They are some of the most desirable antique motorcycles for an enthusiast to collect. Because of their connection with Lawrence of Arabia, their high quality level of fit and finish, and their reputation for reliability and winning races, they are one of the most collectible of all the worlds' motorised vehicles. In 2007, prices ranged from $40,000 to more than $3,000,000 USD.
Brough Superior motorcycles
Model history
Four models are the most common:
- SS100 (Super Sports) - Powered by J.A.P. (J. A. Prestwich of Tottenham) or Matchless 1000 cc overhead valve v-twin engines. Approximately 383 were manufactured from 1924 to 1940.
- SS80 (Super Sports) - Powered by J.A.P. or Matchless 1000 cc sidevalve v-twin engines. Approximately 1086 were manufactured from 1922 to 1940.
- SS680 O.H.V. (Super Sports) - Powered by J.A.P. 680cc overhead valve v-twin. Approximately 547 were manufactured from 1926 to 1936.
- 11.50 - Powered by J.A.P 1000cc sidevalve v-twin engines. These were primarily designed for sidecar and police use. Approximately 308 were manufactured from 1933 to 1940.
George Brough was known for his great dedication to his vehicles and customers. He, and later Albert Wallis, continued to service and repair Brough Superiors at the workshop after stopping production of complete motorcycles. Parts were made until 1969 but production of bikes never restarted after the Second World War.
Production figures
| Year | Number of Motorcycles Produced 4 |
| 1919 | 0 |
| 1920 | 0 |
| 1921 | 3 |
| 1922 | 103 |
| 1923 | 119 |
| 1924 | 195 |
| 1925 | 168 |
| 1926 | 95 |
| 1927 | 226 |
| 1928 | 155 |
| 1929 | 139 |
| 1930 | 131 |
| 1931 | 117 |
| 1932 | 58 |
| 1933 | 121 |
| 1934 | 104 |
| 1935 | 94 |
| 1936 | 187 |
| 1937 | 173 |
| 1938 | 159 |
| 1939 | 118 |
| 1940 | 10 |
To this list may be added thirteen motorcycles that have no date on their build card. Many records are incomplete for the first few years of production and for some of the low production models. The estimated total production was 3,048 vehicles.
Racing history (partial)
Riders of Brough Superiors have won many races - TT, sprints (drag racing), hillclimbs, and top speed. Victories include:
- 1922, George Brough, First Sidevalve Motorcycle to lap Brooklands at 100mph.
- 1927, June 11 - R. E. Thomas, 2 1/2 Miles Sprint for Unlimited Capacity Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.1
- 1927, June 11 - R. E. Thomas, 10 Miles for Unlimited Solo machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.1
- 1927, September 11 - R. E. Thomas, 2 1/2 Miles Sprint for Unlimited Capacity Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.1
- 1927, September 11 - R. E. Thomas, 10 Miles Unlimited Race for Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.1
- 1927, September 11 - R. E. Thomas, 25 Miles Race for Unlimited Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.1
- 1927, September 11 - R. E. Thomas, 50 Miles Race for Unlimited Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.1
- 1928 - George Brough, one mile sprint, Pendine. 1st place.1
- 1928 - R. E. Thomas, one mile spring, Pendine. 2nd place.1
- 1931 - J.H. Carr, 50 Miles Any Power Solo, Pendine. 1st place.1
- 1931 - J.H. Carr, 100 Miles Any Power Solo, Pendine. 1st place.1
- 1935 - Eric Fernihough, Brooklands motor-cycle lap record for all classes, 123.58 mph.2
- 1936 - Eric Fernihough, Solo world record for the mile. 163.82 mph.2
- 1937 - Eric Fernihough, Solo world record for the flying kilometre. 169.8 mph.2
- 1937 - Eric Fernihough, Side car world record for the flying kilometre. 137 mph.2
Brough Superior cars5
George Brough made approximately eighty-five cars also called Brough Superior. Built between 1935 and 1939, they were powered by Hudson engines and also used Hudson chassis. Three models were made but only two reached production. Early cars did not carry Brough Superior badges as Brough thought the cars sufficiently distinctive in themselves.
The first car was the 4 litre made from 1935 to 1936 using a 114 bhp, 4168 cc side valve, straight 8 engine. Performance was remarkable for the time with a top speed of 90 mph and a 0-60 mph time of 10 seconds. The drop head coachwork was by Atcherley of Birmingham.
Hudson stopped supplying the 8 cylinder engine in 1936 so the next cars were fitted with a 107 bhp, 3455 cc straight 6, still with side valves and called the 3.5 litre. A Centric supercharged version was also listed with a claimed output of 140 bhp. The chassis was 4 inches shorter than the 4 litre at 116 inches. Saloon bodies were available but most of the production were open cars. Approximately 80 were made between 1936 and 1939.
The final car, the XII made in 1938, used a Lincoln-Zephyr V12 engine of 4387 cc and Brough's own design of chassis with Girling brakes and Ford axles. Only one was made with a saloon body built by Charlesworth. A very large car with an overall length of 219 inches and width of 71 inches, it still survives.
Journalist Bill Boddy7 tested an early model Brough Superior Saloon in 1936 for Motor Sport magazine. Noting the car had a reserve fuel tank, he declined to fill up before the journey. Upon running out of petrol, he found he could not find the switch to activate the reserve. After having begged petrol from a passing milk float Boddy then came across a motorcyclist who had crashed on the slippery road and offered to help out. When asked, he told Boddy that his bike was a Brough Superior and asked what was 'the nice car in which you are giving me a lift'. When told it was, too, a Brough Superior the motorcyclist was silent for the rest of the journey. Boddy presumed this was incredulity that a famed motorcycle maker could also manufacture cars, and supposed that the motorcyclist presumed he was concussed.
Brough Superior in fiction
- In Kino's Journey the talking bike Hermes is modeled after a BS SS 100.
- The Brough Superior was also shown in chapter 48 of the Oh My Goddess! manga series.
Trivia
- The original Brough Motorcycles were made by William E. Brough (George Brough's father) in England from 1908 to 1926.
- Many Brough Superiors had names:
- Spit and Polish (owned and raced by George Brough)
- Old Bill (owned and raced by George Brough)
- BOA George: 7 Brough Superiors owned and ridden by T.E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia. T. E. Lawrence numbered his Brough Superior motorcycles after their maker: George I, George II, George III, George IV, George V, George VI, and George VII. They all had the name BOA, short for Boanerges - god of thunder. Lawrence was killed in an accident when riding George VII while awaiting delivery of George VIII.
- Brough Superior was the first motorcycle to use a side stand. ("Brough engineer Harold “Oily” Karslake is credited with the invention of the motorcycle side stand" 3).
- Brough Superior was the first motorcycle that used a ride off center stand. (George Brough patented the "Rolling Stand", a ride off center stand3).
- a Brough superior was featured in the manga " Ah Megami-Sama/ Oh My Goddess". It involved a long running promise between the protagonists' grandfather and his lost-love.
- The VR-041 Blowsuperior in Genesis Climber Mospeada (known to American fans as the VR-041 Saber in Robotech - The New Generation) is named in honor of this bike.
Etymology
The Broughs' surname is a form of the word borough. See more at borough. "Superior" was a reference by George Brough to his bike's superiority over the original Brough Motorcycles manufactured by his father, William E. Brough.
List of all Brough Superior cars
Source: Wikipedia
