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Apr 25
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Brough Superior Revival

By General Posts

It’s exactly ten years on since the born-again Brough Superior brand’s first all-new model, a modern take on the legendary SS100 launched 100 years ago this year as the world’s first street-legal Superbike, was unveiled at the 2013 EICMA Milan Show.

The new Brough Superior motorcycle models build upon the brand’s legendary heritage and craftsmanship to transcend to a level of quality that is unmatched in the world of luxury machines.

Brough is revolutionizing the luxury motorcycle industry by combining timeless design and an exclusive patented engine with state-of-the-art technology.

The current Brough Superior motorcycle models – SS100, Pendine, Anniversary and Lawrence -are 100% French-made collectors’ motorcycles that combine luxury, passion and performance. Made by the most skilled craftsmen, each Brough Superior motorcycle is created with expertise, authenticity and innovation to offer its rider best-in-class power and maximum handling.

Brough Superior motorcycles: the price of excellence
No wonder they’ve been dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of motorcycles.” Brough Superior has been continually raising the bar for sophistication, luxury and an unparalleled riding experience since its inception!

As early as the 1920s, the SS100 broke records for the world’s fastest motorcycle at 191.59 km/h (approx. 119 mph), which a century ago was extraordinary. At the time, Brough Superior motorcycles were renowned for their excellent custom details and performance.

The brand has continued to uphold its standards and its prestige; to this day, each Brough Superior receives full-on custom treatment from fender to fender to meet the needs and desires of its future rider.

The high-end price is proof, if any were needed, that this is, indeed, an elite luxury machine. Brough Superior’s workshops produce limited numbers of meticulously handcrafted models – just over 3,000 machines have been produced in 20 years – making each model even more iconic.

French-based company has established an enviable reputation for excellence of design and leading edge engineering coupled with quality of manufacture, which has latterly resulted in its successful joint venture with the equally historic four-wheeled British brand, Aston Martin. This has seen all 100 examples of the turbocharged AMB 001 styled by Aston Martin and both engineered and built by Brough Superior sold out in a matter of weeks despite a €108,000 (US$119,000) price tag, while Brough’s own products have meantime acquired a healthy clientele of discerning owners across the globe, reportedly with a waiting list to join them.

Brough Superior Lawrence / Original Pillion Motorcycle
Price starting : contact Brough Superior.

The latest addition to Brough Superior’s French workshop, Lawrence is the ultimate 21st century pillion motorcycle. Its luxurious aesthetics were inspired by the sleek, flowing curve of the traditional Bedouin dagger used by Lawrence of Arabia – the man who helped bring this brand its legendary status and who also inspired this eponymous motorcycle.

This revolutionary, hand-crafted, custom two-seater features a revamped retro design that is an ode to the brand’s past. Designed for two riders who want to share in their passion, primmed to hit the road with their adventurous partner.

This motorcycle exhibits superior quality, down to the last screw, thanks to the exceptional knowledge and skill used for its traditional artisanal production. This new model represents a major milestone for Brough Superior. It is handcrafted by the finest French artisans and incorporates state-of-the-art engineering and innovative materials.

Lawrence is a customizable, high-end pillion motorcycle that can be tailored to its future owner’s specifications.

A new Brough model is named after the An Nefud desert in what is today northern Saudi Arabia, which was the springboard for the 1917 capture by the Arabs of the Red Sea port of Aqaba, nowadays in Jordan. This was the greatest victory in the Arab Revolt of WW1 against the Turkish Ottoman Empire, and it was masterminded by Brough Superior fanatic (he owned seven such bikes in succession!)

T.E. Lawrence – better known to movie fans the world over as Lawrence of Arabia, in whose memory Henriette conceived the Lawrence model two years ago.

FIND OUT MORE IN DETAILED ARTICLE AT:
https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/manufacturer/brough-superior-manufacturer/2023-brough-superior-nefud-review-44583682

VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE LEGENDARY BRAND: https://www.brough-superior-motorcycles.com/

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Nov 09
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Aston Martin and Brough Superior rev up the intensity

By General Posts

AMB 001 Pro by Aston Martin and Brough Superior revealed at EICMA, the Milan Motorcycle Show

  • Track-only superbike follows on from the success of the first-ever Aston Martin motorcycle, the AMB 001
  • Features a 25% power increase to 225 HP on its predecessor
  • Strictly limited to a maximum of 88 motorcycles
  • The AMB 001 Pro is inspired by Aston Martin’s Valkyrie AMR Pro hypercar and is set to be highly-prized by thrill-seeking motorcycle connoisseurs

08 November 2022, Milan, Italy: Aston Martin and Brough Superior are revving up the intensity with the reveal of AMB 001 Pro, a visceral 997cc track only superbike inspired by Aston Martin’s unrivaled Valkyrie AMR Pro hypercar, unveiled today at the EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show.

The strictly limited-edition AMB 001 Pro is the latest design collaboration between the two brands, pairing Aston Martin’s legendary design with state-of-the-art Brough Superior motorcycle engineering.

Offered in a single Pro specification, the successor to the sold-out AMB 001 was inspired by Aston Martin’s no rules track hypercar Valkyrie AMR Pro. Like its inspiration, AMB 001 Pro takes track performance to the extreme, offering a 25% power increase on its predecessor, with its 225 HP producing a power to weight ratio of 1.28 hp/kg, similar to that of a Formula One® car.

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Thierry Henriette, Chief Executive Officer of Brough Superior, said “We are excited to reveal the AMB 001 Pro at EICMA today. The success of its predecessor, coupled with the incredible Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro, inspired us to get together again to create a new superbike; one that we know will excite our customers. We are particularly proud of the new engine type, with a crankcase fully machined from solid billet aluminium, which is a unique feature for a production motorcycle. With the marked increase in power this takes AMB 001 Pro into the hyperbike sector.”

Marek Reichman, Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Aston Martin, said:
“It’s a beautifully simple formula. Form plus technology equals performance. When you push something to the very edge of capacity, and do it seamlessly, the resulting experience can have you breathless. There is no separation between the advanced materials, design and technical capabilities of the bike. We’ve achieved this fluidity again with Brough Superior for those who desire a track superbike like none other. The rider is part of this moving sculpture and will literally feel as though they are part of the track when laying atop the AMB 001 Pro”.

It was at EICMA that the AMB 001, the first-ever Aston Martin motorcycle was revealed in 2019. The coming together of Aston Martin and Brough Superior, two iconic and historic British performance brands, produced a unique, modern, lightweight and powerful sports bike, limited to just 100 units and now fully sold out..

The new AMB 001 Pro builds on the learnings from the AMB 001 and takes track exhilaration to the extreme. The power increase comes courtesy of a new CNC-machine, dual-cylinder 997cc engine, which has been fully machined from AL 5000 solid billet. The ideal properties of the material improve the stiffness of the structural engine, whilst a new cylinder design with wet cylinder liners helps to improve cooling.

Downforce is increased via the front spoiler and side wings, with the front cowl now fixed to the bodywork to manage the downforce at the front end of the motorcycle. A tunnel effect air blade directs air over the rider. The airflow enters through a large intake integrated into the front wing, then passes through the new front cowl, to be deflected through the dynamic windshield. A rear fin with an aero stabilizer design further refines the aerodynamic updates.

The AMB 001 Pro is offered in a single specification, featuring a racing livery that combines Aston Martin Verdant Jade with satin finished carbon fibre and black Cerakote engine and suspension. These are highlighted by Photon Lime accents, paying a nod to Aston Martin’s winning bloodline of track racers.

In common with other extreme performance, ultra-luxury Aston Martin models, AMB 001 Pro is fitted with the Aston Martin ‘lacewing’ badge. Designed for the Aston Martin Valkyrie programme, the chemical etched aluminium lacewing is a remarkable 99.4% lighter than the brand’s regular enamel badge, and at just 70 microns thick is 30% thinner than a human hair. It will be applied on the nose cowl and tank, on top of the painted finish yet beneath a perfectly smooth coat of lacquer.

Visitors to EICMA are treated to the first sight of the AMB 001 Pro prototype, displayed alongside its inspiration, the Valkyrie AMR Pro.

Initial orders have already been taken for the strictly limited edition AMB 001 Pro, which will be hand built at the Brough Superior factory in Toulouse, France. First deliveries will take place in Q4 2023.

May 16
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Bonhams Motorcycles Offers Ultra-Rare AJS Porcupine

By General Posts

from https://www.bonhams.com

The Summer Sale
The International Classic MotorCycle Show (Three-Day Auction)
2 – 4 Jul 2021
Stafford, Staffordshire County Showground

1940S RACING MOTORCYCLE LEADS SUMMER STAFFORD SALE

An ultra-rare example of arguably the ‘Holy Grail’ of classic racing motorcycles – a 1940s AJS 497cc E90 ‘Porcupine’ Grand Prix racing motorcycle, previously owned by post-war AJS works rider Ted Frend, is being offered for the first time at auction in the Bonhams Summer Stafford Sale on 2 July. It has an estimate of £250,000 – 300,000.

The E90’s reputation was made as the first motorcycle to win the 500cc World Championship in the series’ debut year of 1949, carrying Frend’s fellow works rider Les Graham to his (and AJS’s) first and only world title. Dubbed the Porcupine by the era’s motorcycle press due to its distinctive spiked ‘head’ finning, the E90 remains the sole twin-cylinder machine to have won world motorcycling’s flagship series.

Just a handful of E90s were built by the British firm, purely for its works team. Ted Frend who had tasted earlier success earning a gold star at Brooklands having lapped its outer circuit at over 100mph on his Vincent-HRD Rapide, was signed up by AJS in 1947, thanks to a 4th place finish in that year’s Isle of Man TT. He was the first rider to win on the Porcupine at the 1947 Hutchinson 100 race.

Development on the E90 continued over the next couple of years, while the motorcycle picked up 18 world speed records and a number of podium finishes before reaching its 1949 zenith. Graham won two of the six championship races, the Swiss and Ulster Grand Prix, securing the rider’s trophy, while teammate Bill Doran rode to victory in Belgium to ensure AJS’ manufacturer’s title.

Despite its successes, the E90 was plagued by various problems concerning carburetion and its magneto – a magneto shaft failure caused Graham to retire from the 1949 Isle of Man Senior TT, which he was leading, two minutes from the finish. In 1952, its successor, the E95, was introduced, with a revised engine and new frame. Although the spikes disappeared the Porcupine name stuck. The E95 had a dream debut, with a one-two finish in the season-opening Swiss Grand Prix.

Between 1949 and 1954, the Porcupine, in E90 and E95 guise, finished 24 races, securing five wins, seven 2nd places and one World Championship. Ted commented that ‘for its day, the Porcupine had lots of potential, but its development did not keep pace with the opposition.’ In total, only four complete E90 and four E95 motorcycles were produced, along with an unknown number of spare engines.

Ted Frend, who left the AJS team in 1950, also finished his racing career in 1954 to concentrate on his sheet metal business. He maintained that the Porcupine’s glory year was 1949, not just for its World Championship win, but also for holding its own against the more powerful rival Gileras and early MV motorcycles. He said: “At Spa, I managed third place, splitting the Gileras. Masetti, Pagani [Gilera riders] and I were the first to average over 100mph for a full Grand Prix.”

The motorcycle offered was found as a collection of parts in the estate of Ted Frend when he died in 2006. It was his friend and neighbour Ken Senior who acquired the Porcupine and other motorcycle-related possessions from the executors, including Ted’s TT trophies, also offered in the Summer Stafford Sale. Senior oversaw the Porcupine’s rebuild, with missing parts custom made.

Ben Walker, International Department Director, Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycles, said: “We have only seen two other examples offered for sale publicly, both of which Bonhams sold for world record prices at the time. With the few known examples being in the world-famous Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum or in the possession of private collectors, this is an extremely exciting, once in a generation opportunity to buy a much coveted and sought-after machine.”

The Porcupine leads the Ken Senior Collection of 90 plus motorcycles to be offered on Friday 2 July, at the three-day Summer Stafford Sale. This just a quarter of the near 400-strong collection of ‘everyman’ classics that Ken Senior amassed in his lifetime.

The Bonhams Summer Stafford Sale makes a welcome return to the International Classic MotorCycle Show, and will offer in excess of 650 lots, comprising important collectors’ motorcycles, important early bicycles, spares and memorabilia over three days from 2 to 4 July.

Sale Days
Friday 2 July The Ken Senior Collection and other important one owner collections
Saturday 3 July Bicycles, Spares and Memorabilia
Sunday 4 July Collectors’ Motorcycles

Viewing Times
09:00 – 1700 Friday through Sunday

Other highlights include:

1940 Brough Superior 1,096cc 11-50HP, estimate £60,000 – 75,000
The very last Brough Superior 11-50HP to have left the Nottingham factory, offered from long term ownership (having been repatriated with its original owner from new), the 1940 Brough Superior 1,096cc 11-50HP is to be sold Without Reserve.

The Ron Cody Collection
Well-known in MV Agusta club circles, the late Ron Cody, a former sports car racer and engineer, turned to his passion for building up and restoring his collection of Italian machines as a retirement hobby. This collection offers 48 motorcycles, including many examples of MV Agustas, as well as other Italian marques.

A Significant Norton Collection
More than 10 pre-War marvels are offered from the stable of a lifelong Norton dedicated collector. The collection also includes more than 150 lots of mostly Norton pre-war spares: from engines and gearboxes to pie-crust tanks.

The sale will be a traditional live auction, welcoming bidders back into the saleroom in addition to enhanced online bidding features rolled out throughout 2020, a record year for attracting £7.6 million in motorcycle sales alone.

The sale will also be streamed and available on the Bonhams App, which provides registered bidders the opportunity to bid in real time online via Bonhams.com while watching the auctioneer and videos of motorcycles on offer. Absentee and telephone bids are also encouraged.

Visit www.bonhams.com/summersale to preview the lots on offer. The full lot listing will be published in early June.

To register to bid, contact: bids@bonhams.com and to discuss selling or buying collectors’ motorcycles at auction, contact: ukmotorcycles@bonhams.com.

Dec 22
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New Auction World Records Set at Successful Bonhams Motorcycles Winter Sale

By General Posts
The Winter Sale
including The National Motorcycle Museum Reserve Collection – Bicester Heritage

11 – 12 Dec 2020

Bicester, Bicester Heritage
Offered from the National Motorcycle Museum Collection,1936 Brough Superior 982cc SS100
Registration no. VD 6582 Frame no. M1/1661 Engine no. BS/X 1001

£3 MILLION TOTAL REALISED WITH 92 PER CENT SELL-THROUGH RATE

1936 Brough Superior 982C SS100 from the National Motorcycle Museum Reserve Collection, SOLD for £276,000

Two world auction records for a Sunbeam and Norton F1 motorcycle were set over the weekend at the successful Bonhams Motorcycles Winter Sale at Bicester Heritage, which realised more than £3 million and had an impressive sell-through rate of 92 per cent.

A 1928 Sunbeam 493cc TT Model 90 Racing Motorcycle, which had raced at Pendine Sands, powered through its top estimate of £24,000 selling for £41,400, while a 21,188-mile 1990 Norton F1, the roadster inspired by the sporting partnership with John Player Special, made £40,250, both setting new world auction records.

However, the name dominating the sale was Brough Superior, with no fewer than five examples featuring in the sale’s top ten, led by a highly original 1936 Brough Superior 982cc SS100, bearing the earliest engine number in a production model, which sold for £276,000.

All three machines were offered direct from the National Motorcycle Museum’s Reserve Collection, an exclusive selection of 52 British motorcycles – and motorcycle-related cars – presented on the first day of the two-day sale.

A brace of 1937 Brough Superiors offered from The Connoisseur Collection – comprising blue-chip examples from the estate of a late motorcycle enthusiast – also featured in the sale’s top ten, a 982cc SS80 and a 1,096cc 11-50hp which both exceeded their top pre-sale estimates selling for £73,600 and £71,300 respectively.

The Connoisseur Collection also offered an example of one of the most desirable pre-war American motorcycles, a 1924 Henderson De Luxe Four, which made £48,300, again rising above its pre-sale estimate, despite requiring re-commissioning.

Another 1937 Brough Superior 1,096cc 11-50hp, a project motorcycle offered for restoration rounded out the sale on a high note, trouncing its pre-sale estimate, selling for £57,500.

Modern Marvels

More modern metal also fared well at the Bicester auction, with three MV Agusta motorcycles achieving a combined total of more than £186,000, including a 1973 500cc Grand Prix Replica Racing Motorcycle which made £82,800, comfortably within its estimate, and a 1978 832cc Monza which pipped its top estimate, selling for £48,300.

Another 1970s superbike that found favour in the Bonhams saleroom was a 1976 Honda CB750 K6, with a believed 3.6 ‘push’ kilometres reading, which cruised past its pre-sale top estimate of £4,000 to achieve £9,800.

There was also success for the motorcycle memorabilia sale which offered two special collections from the families of two late motorcycling greats: Barry Sheene MBE and Percy Tait.

Highlights from the Sheene Collection included a leather team holdall, featuring the motifs 7, Sheene and Suzuki, which sold for £3,187, ten times its pre-sale estimate, while a stainless-steel Gabriel chronograph wristwatch awarded at the 1976 ‘France de Chimay’ race made £7,650, again more than ten times its estimate, while a set of Percy Tait’s race-worn one-piece leathers raced away for £5,737.

Ben Walker, International Department Director for Bonhams Collectors’ Motorcycles,”We are more than pleased with the sale which has been the subject of much interest from collectors around the world and competitive bidding.

We were also honoured to have been entrusted with the premium collection from the National Motorcycle Museum, one of the most prestigious names in the motorcycling world, and well as the collections from the families of two of motorcycling’s national treasures, Barry Sheene and Percy Tait.”

The Winter Sale was a fitting end to another successful year for the Bonhams motorcycle department, with the two UK sales realising a combined total of more than £6.7 million in 2020.

The Motorcycle department is already looking ahead to next year and is currently consigning collectors’ motorcycles and collections to The Spring Sale on 24 and 25 April, when Bonhams returns to the Stafford Showground for The International Classic MotorCycle Show.

Oct 01
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Your Chance To Bid For An Incredible Barn Find Brough Superior

By General Posts

 

Collectors will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire two important Brough Superior SS-80 motorcycles at the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale at The Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show on Sunday 21st October: one original, un-restored and not been seen publicly for more than eight decades, and the other once owned by the founder of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club.

1925 Brough Superior SS-80

The remarkable 'barn-find' 981cc 1925 model (estimate £55,000 – £75,000) has been owned by the same family since new and off the road since 1930.

Bonhams sold a 1924 model – thought to be the most original surviving example of its type – at the Autumn Stafford Sale last year. The machine, also offered at auction for the first time in its history, sold for £100,500.

1930 Brough Superior SS-80 De Luxe 'Black Bess'

Founder of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club (VMCC), the late C E 'Titch' Allen OBE, bought 'Black Bess', as the machine came to be known, using a £50 gratuity given to him in the aftermath of World War II, during which he served as a dispatch rider and a sergeant, being awarded the British Empire Medal.

He had a life-long love affair with the Brough Superior marque, and in a 1997 letter to the current owner, said of 'Black Bess': "In many ways it was the most important bike in my life."

Restored to original specification by marque specialists during the 1990s after its acquisition by the current vendor, the motorcycle is offered for sale in excellent condition, and is estimated to realize between £80,000 and £120,000.

Ben Walker, Head of the Bonhams Motorcycle Department, said: "We are delighted to be able to offer these two remarkable machines at our Autumn Stafford Sale.

"Brough Superiors still in the possession of the first owner's family can, in all probability, be counted on the fingers of one hand. So this wonderfully original and un-restored 1925 model, accompanied by a fascinating history file, represents a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for discerning collectors.

"VMCC founder Titch Allen was tireless in his work to promote and preserve the vintage motorcycle scene, and we are honored to offer one of his favorite machines for sale.

"With the 1929 Grindlay-Peerless 'Hundred Model' that won the Brooklands 'Gold Star' award for a 100mph lap in 1937, Aled Jenkins's fantastic collection of modern Japanese classics and now these two machines, as well as many other exciting motorcycles, the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale is shaping up to be one of our most important sales of the year."

See Lot Preview for further information on lots coming up in the Autumn Stafford sale.