Brough-Superior (pr. bruff-su-peer-ee-or) motorcycles and automobiles were made by George Brough in Nottingham, England from 1919 to 1940. They were dubbed the "Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles" by H. D. Teague of The Motorcycle newspaper. Approximately 3200 of 19 models were made in 21 years of production; a rate of around three a week. In 2004, approximately 1000 still exist.

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. 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. For example, the SS100 was guaranteed to have been ridden at 100 miles per hour or over before being delivered to the customer. The fit and finish was comparable to a Rolls-Royce automobile. These were some of the most expensive motorcycles in the world.

Riders of Brough-Superiors won many races - TT, sprints (drag racing), hillclimbs, and top speed.

These motorcycle are now very 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 and their boast of being the Rolls Royce of Motor Cycles they are one of the most collectable of British vehicles.

Current Prices (2004) range from $20,000 to over $3,000,000 USD.

Model History

Four models are the most common:

• SS100 (Super Sports) - Powered by J.A.P. (J.A. Prestwidge and Co.) and Matchless 1000 cc overhead valve v-twin engines. Approximately 383 were manufactured from 1924 to 1940.

• SS80 (Super Sports) - Powered by J.A.P. 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 also made a few automobiles. As are the motorcycles, these are called Brough-Superior. Some were powered by V-12 Lincoln engines. Approximately 101 were manufactured from 1933 to 1938.

Post-war parts were made until 1969 but production of bikes never restarted after the Second World War.

External Links

• The Brough-Superior Club

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brough_Superior http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brough_Superior