Description
H&H Classic Auction @ National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
3rd July, 2024 13:00
1929 Brough Superior SS100
The mysterious SS100
Estimate
£240, 000 - £280, 000
Buyer's Premium applies (subject to a minimum charge and VAT)
Lot details
Registration No: BBW 972
Frame No: S1006
Engine No: JTO/ C92384
CC: 1000
MOT: Exempt
Possibly the last ever Brough Superior ever sold
Registered in Oxfordshire in 1944
Over 40 years of ownership
Restored over 30 years ago, with use since
Brough Superior is probably the most iconic and evocative name in motorcycle history, being made by George Brough in his factory on Haydn Road in Nottingham from 1919 to 1940. Only approximately 3, 048 examples were manufactured over the 21 years of production and there is thought to be only around a third of those still in existence. 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, but George was convinced he could improve on his father's designs adding 'Superior' to the name to emphasize this. His motorcycles were all designed to offer high levels of performance and exceptional build quality with most being custom built to the customer's needs, rarely any two left the factory in the same specification. His flair for marketing was highlighted when he successfully sought permission from the illustrious car maker to describe his machines as "The Rolls Royce of Motorcycles".
Combined with his insistence that only the best components were used in the creation of the bikes bearing his name and then assembled with a level of care and precision beyond that of other manufacturers, ensured that motorcycles leaving his premises were more than the sum of their parts. Each one was assembled twice, with the first dry assembly being to test the fit of all the components before being disassembled for parts to be painted or plated as needed. After final assembly each bike was test ridden to ensure that it performed to specification and was personally certified by George Brough. His competition background resulted in machines that handled and went as well as they looked and with the bespoke nature of the machines, any would be owner could tailor their choice of basic model to their own requirements. Broughs were always rare and expensive with prices ranging from £100 to £200 in the 1920s and 1930s. Since the average annual salary in Britain during the 1930s was around £200, only the wealthy could afford to indulge themselves and George built up an impressive client list, the most famous being T. E. Lawrence "Lawrence of Arabia" who owned eight Broughs throughout his life. The outbreak of World War II brought an end to production with the factory engaged in war work completing crankshafts for Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and at the end of hostilities, the lack of suitable engines forced the company to close down.
The early years of this Vintage Brough Superior SS100 are subject to ongoing investigation. The JAP V-twin OHV engine and sprung Bentley & Draper frame both came from known, numbered batches that were delivered to the factory in 1928 and 1929 respectively. It is possible that the powerplant was allocated to another Brough Superior but returned to the Works under warranty. Similarly, it is conceivable that the motorcycle was assembled with the prototype frame rather than a customer machine because the frame is slightly taller than standard. An idea given credence by the fact that there is no Works Record Card for the SS100 detailing its build date and specification. Issued with the Oxfordshire registration ‘BBW 972’ during October 1944 whilst World War Two was still raging, the motorcycle may well have worn a different number plate before then. Remaining in private hands thereafter, the Brough Superior is mentioned in the March 5th 1959 issue of The Motorcycle magazine. Belonging to E. A. Gilchrist Esq of Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire at the time, the SS100 then passed to Jimmy Watson Esq of Airdrie before being bought by Bill Gibbard Esq, author of the authoritative tome ‘Maintaining Your Brough Superior’. Mr Gibbard kept ‘BBW 972’ until his death with the vendor’s father subsequently acquiring it during the early 1980s. The bike was restored in the 90s by Mr. Jarle Eide, a master restorer and mechanic. Jarle Eide used to be the works mechanic on the JAP speedway engines use by Mr. Jon Ødegaard, famous Norwegian speedway racer with 7 Norwegian gold, 1 European gold, silver and bronze medallist, Bronze medal in the World championship 1972. The SS100 is very well known in Brough Superior Club circles and indeed has been loaned to a few select BSC members for use on rallies and events. Described by BSC historian Mike Leatherdale as ‘a true Vintage SS100’, ‘BBW 972’ is coming to market for the first time in forty years. A rare opportunity to obtain one of the most revered and valuable British motorcycles ever made.
H&H are indebted to Mike Leatherdale who is the BSC historian for much of the above information.
