Description
By: Peter Miller .
Book Description
George Brough gained his love of motorcycles from his father, William, a pioneering motorcycle rider and manufacturer. William's machines were of high quality, but staid, and George believed he could do better. His duties in the Air Inspection Department during the Great War gave him opportunities to assess machines from rival manufacturers. He determined the good and bad features of each in order to design his own ideal machine.
George's new Brough Superior, announced to the public in September 1920, proved a sensation. Designed as a sporting solo with a large-capacity overhead-valve V-twin JAP engine and handsome saddle tank, it set new standards for performance, quality of finish and styling. Other machines with side-valve JAP and ioe MAG engines followed. The SS80 model was announced in 1922 and supplied with an 80mph guarantee. It was revised for 1924, using a frame based upon Bert leVack's Brooklands racer, and within the year was fitted with an overhead-valve JAP KTOR engine to create the SS 100. Guaranteed to exceed 100mph and of unsurpassed styling, it was the iconic design of the pre-war years — the world's first superbike.
Other outstanding designs followed, including JAP Overhead 680 and 11-50 models, and Matchless SS80 and SS100 models. Brough Superior cars, based upon the Hudson Straight-8 and Straight-6 chassis, were also produced in limited numbers from 1935.
Brough Superior enjoyed considerable sporting success in trials, racing and record breaking. It held the world's fastest title in the hands of Bert le Vack and Eric Fernihough, and holds the all-time Brooklands record in the hands of Noel Pope.
This book traces the history of George Brough and Brough Superior from the early pioneering Brough machines, produced by his father, through to the end of Brough Superior production around the time of the Second World War. The events, sporting achievements and personalities important to the development of the marque are described. Detailed model-by-model histories of the various models are presented.These include the specials, which often featured on the Brough Superior stand at the Motorcycle Shows.
Finally, profiles are presented of the two most famous riders of Brough Superior machines: Lawrence of Arabia, who lost his life riding an SS100, and George Brough himself.
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