Brough Superior


Brough Superior motorcycles, sidecars, and motor cars were made by George Brough in his Brough Superior works on Haydn Road in Nottingham, England, from 1919 to 1940. The motorcycles were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motor Cycle newspaper. Approximately 3048 motorcycles were made in the 21 years of production; around a third of that production still exists. T. E. Lawrence owned eight of these motorcycles and died from injuries sustained when he crashed number seven; the eighth was on order.
In 2008, vintage motorcycle enthusiast Mark Upham acquired the rights to the Brough Superior name. In 2013 he met motorcycle designer Thierry Henriette and asked him to design a new Brough Superior motorcycle. Three months later a prototype of a new SS100 was shown in Milan. Serial production of the revived Brough Superior brand began in 2016.

History

George Brough was a racer, designer, and showman - his father William E. Brough had been making Brough Motorcycles in Nottingham since 1908, and continued to do so until 1926. Convinced he could improve on his father's designs, George Brough ensured that all Brough Superior motorcycles were high performance and of superior quality. Most were custom-built to the customer's needs, and rarely were any two of the same configuration.
Each motorcycle was assembled twice. The first assembly was to fit all the components. Then the motorcycle was disassembled and all the parts painted or plated as needed. Finally, the finished parts were assembled a second time. Every motorcycle was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification, and was personally certified by George Brough. The SS100 model was ridden at or more before delivery. The SS80 model was ridden at or more before delivery. If any motorcycle did not meet specification, it was returned to the works for rework until it performed properly. The fit and finish was comparable to a Rolls-Royce car, and they were the most expensive road-going motorcycles in the world.
Brough Superior motorcycles have always been rare and expensive. Prices for these motorcycles ranged from £100 to £185 in the 1920s and 1930s. Since the average annual salary in Britain during the 1930s was £200, only the wealthy could afford them.
In 1940, the Second World War brought an end to production as the factory was engaged on war work, completing crankshafts for Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. After hostilities had ceased there were no suitable engines available so the company was wound up. In 2004, around 1,000 Brough Superior motorcycles still existed.

Brough Superior motorcycles

Early models include the Brough Superior Mark I Sidevalve, Mark I Overhead, Mark II Standard and Mark II Sports. Early to mid manufacture included the Overhead 500, 680 S.V. Junior, and 750 Side Valve, but these were not popular and were dropped from production.
The following four models represent the bulk of manufacture. Most were custom built to order and many variations were made:
  • The SS100, powered by J.A.P. or Matchless 1000 cc overhead valve V-twin engines. Approximately 383 were manufactured from 1924 to 1940.
  • The SS80, powered by J.A.P. or Matchless 1,000 cc sidevalve V-twin engines. Approximately 1,086 were manufactured from 1922 to 1940.
  • The 680 O.H.V., powered by J.A.P. 680 cc overhead valve V-twin. Approximately 547 were manufactured from 1926 to 1936.
  • The 11.50, powered by J.A.P 1096 cc sidevalve 60° V-twin engines. These were primarily designed for sidecar and police use. Approximately 308 were manufactured from 1933 to 1940. The model name refers to the horsepower rating of the engine, 11 RAC,. In reality these engines produced under 30 bhp. Tax horsepower ratings were required by manufactures for tax purposes. RAC HP equals the piston diameter squared times the number of cylinders divided by 2.5.
Brough Superior produced many other experimental, show, and racing models. These include:
  • Golden Dream. This was powered by a vertically stacked twin crankshaft opposed four cylinder engine. George Brough called this a "flat vertical" engine, which used a shaft final drive. The bike was finished in gold paint for the London Motorcycle Show. It was unveiled at the motorcycle show at Earls Court in 1938.
  • Brough Superior Austin Four or BS4. This bike was powered by a modified Austin 7 automobile engine and transmission. As the prop-shaft of the automotive transmission emerged in the center of the motorcycle's driveline, George Brough used two rear wheels mounted to a central, cast final drive unit. As the rear wheels were within 24" of each other, the Brough Superior 3-wheeler was legally considered a 'motorcycle' in the UK. It remains the only motorcycle in history to use this configuration. The Brough-Austin Four was intended for sidecar use, although one was ordered without a sidecar by journalist Hubert Chantry, who had borrowed a factory show model for use in the Land's End Trial of 1932. 10 examples were built.
  • Pendine. This was introduced in 1927 and had a guaranteed top speed of. They were based on the SS100 model but with higher performance modifications to the engine. A well known racer, Barry Baragwanath, installed a supercharger on one, and it is now known as "Barry's Big Blown Brough". Noel Pope bought the motorcycle and in 1939 set two lap records with it at Brooklands; with sidecar, and in solo configuration, which exceeded the previous record set in 1935 by Eric Fernihough also on a Brough Superior. These records still stand as the track closed in 1939.
George Brough was known for his dedication to his vehicles and customers. He, and later Albert Wallis, continued to service Brough Superiors after production ceased, making parts until 1969. To all intents and purposes production of bikes did not resume after the Second World War.

Production figures

  • 1919 - 1
  • 1920 - 1
  • 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 without a 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 machines.

Racing

Riders of Brough Superiors have won many races—sprints, hillclimbs, and top speed. Victories include:
  • 1922, George Brough, First Sidevalve Motorcycle to lap Brooklands at.
  • 1927, 11 June: R. E. Thomas, Miles Sprint for Unlimited Capacity Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.
  • 1927, 11 June: R. E. Thomas, 10 Miles for Unlimited Solo machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.
  • 1927, 11 September: R. E. Thomas, Miles Sprint for Unlimited Capacity Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.
  • 1927, 11 September: R. E. Thomas, 10 Miles Unlimited Race for Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.
  • 1927, 11 September: R. E. Thomas, 25 Miles Race for Unlimited Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.
  • 1927, 11 September: R. E. Thomas, 50 Miles Race for Unlimited Solo Machines, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials. 1st place.
  • 1928: George Brough, one mile sprint, Pendine. 1st place.
  • 1928: R. E. Thomas, one mile sprint, Pendine. 2nd place.
  • 1931: J.H. Carr, 50 Miles Any Power Solo, Pendine. 1st place.
  • 1931: J.H. Carr, 100 Miles Any Power Solo, Pendine. 1st place.
  • 1935: Eric Fernihough, Brooklands motor-cycle lap record for all classes,.
  • 1936: Eric Fernihough, Motorcycle Land Speed Record for the mile..
  • 1937: Eric Fernihough, Motorcycle Land Speed Record for the flying kilometre..
  • 1937: Eric Fernihough, Sidecar Motorcycle Land Speed Record for the flying kilometre..
In 2013 Brough Superior said it would return to Grand Prix motorcycle racing with a prototype machine for Moto2, the Carbon2, a motorcycle made by California builders Taylormade and rebranded as a Brough Superior.

Brough Superior sidecars

Brough Superior also manufactured sidecars. The sidecars had coach-built bodies, and some carried a spare tyre, while others offered two seats for occasional use. The fit and finish of these sidecars were of the highest standard, as were the motorcycles. These sidecars all offered good protection from the elements. Many of the earlier sidecars were built to Brough Superior specification, while later sidecar frames were manufactured in the Brough Superior factory. Later sidecars were unique in the fact that the frame of the sidecar held fuel. The sidecar frame looped over the top of the sidecar body and had a filler cap at the topmost position. Fuel was pressurized by a hand pump that transferred fuel from the sidecar to the petrol tank on the motorcycle. Two different bodies could be ordered for the petrol tube sidecar; cruiser or sports.
The various sidecars were offered in the yearly Brough Superior sales catalogs:
  • 1921: "Sporting Sidecar" manufactured by Montgomery Sidecars to Brough Superior Specifications.
  • 1922: "Sidecar" registered to the design of the manufacturer.
  • 1923: "Brough Superior Sidecar" registered to the design of the manufacturer.
  • 1924: "Brough Superior Sidecar", "Brough Superior Swallow Coupe", "Brough Superior Sporting", "Brough Superior Sporting Tourist".
  • 1925: "Brough Superior Sporting Sidecar", "Brough Superior Touring Sidecar".
  • 1926: "Brough Superior Super Sports Sidecar", and made mention of other sidecars available.
  • 1927: "Brough Superior Touring Sports" was mentioned in the 1928 catalog mentions the popularity of it in 1927. No mention of sidecars were in the 1927 catalog.
  • 1928: "Brough Superior Touring Sports", "Brough Superior Cruiser" are listed.
  • 1929: "Brough Superior Spring Frame Cruiser" Sidecar is introduced with reference to many other sidecars available.
  • 1930: "Brough Superior Spring Frame Cruiser" Sidecar, and "Brough Superior Rigid Frame Cruiser" Sidecar. Reference is also made to many other sidecars available.
  • 1931: "Brough Superior Cruiser Sidecar", available in spring frame or rigid frame configuration.
  • 1932: "Brough Superior Cruiser Sidecar", offered with the Brough Superior Straight 4 Combination. And another "Cruiser" sidecar shown with one of the V-twin models. The "Cruiser" is offered in spring frame or rigid frame configuration.
  • 1933: "Brough Superior Cruiser Sidecar" with mention of "Any type or make of Sidecar supplied. Send for lists."
  • 1934: "Brough Superior Cruiser Sidecar", "Brough Superior Occasional 2-seater Sidecar."
  • 1935: "Brough Superior Cruiser Sidecar", "Brough Superior Touring Sidecar."
  • 1936: "Brough Superior Touring Sidecar", "Brough Superior Cruiser Sidecar."
  • 1937: "B.S Alpine Grand Sports Sidecar", available with Cruiser or Sports body, this is also known as the Brough Superior Petrol tube sidecar. The sidecar frame holds fuel and is pressurized with an air pump allowing transfer of the fuel from the sidecar to the main petrol tank of the motorcycle without stopping.
  • 1938: "B.S. Alpine Grand Sports Sidecar". Cruiser or sports body available.
  • 1939: "B.S. Alpine Grand Sports Sidecar". Cruiser or sports body available.