I
n 1919, George Brough started building luxury motorcycles in
Nottingham, England, under the name Brough Superior. A test
ride on one so impressed a journalist that he wrote that the
marque was “the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles.” George, a market-
ing ace in addition to being a designer, picked up the phrase and
used it repeatedly in his advertising.
Rolls-Royce was not happy seeing their good name used by
an upstart motorcycle manufacturer. They wrote a stiff letter of
complaint to Mr. Brough, who responded by inviting representa-
tives to his factory. When the Rolls-Royce delegation arrived at
the immaculately clean Brough factory, they saw a team of white-
glove-wearing technicians putting together a Brough Superior.
The fit and finish was superb. Impressed, they let George use the
phrase. George had failed to explain that the bike was a special,
destined for that year's London motorcycle show.
George would be very happy to see 10 of his hand-built cre-
ations on display as one of the four featured classes at the Quail
Motorcycle Gathering, celebrating its 11th year in Carmel Valley,
California, with over 3,000 participants, over 350 show bikes, the
usual delicious lunch on real china plates and free ice cream.
One of the Broughs at Quail had been George's own personal
bike. Brough Superiors are rare: Only 3,048 were built between
1919 and 1939, and about 1,000 of these are still in existence. It
was a sporting gentleman's motorcycle: The top of the line SS100
was capable of 110-120mph, and cost 180 pounds sterling. In the
1930s, 110mph was serious racing speed, and the average annual
salary in Great Britain was 200 pounds per year.
Broughs are prized, not only for their rarity and value, butalso for their riding qualities. There are several rallies sponsored
by the Brough Superior Club in England every year. Two of the
Broughs displayed at Quail sported number plates: a 1926
machine owned by Brian Bossier had carried well-known vintage
photographer and writer Paul d'Orleans across the United States
in the 2018 running of the Cannonball cross country event for
vintage motorcycles.
Owner Brian Bossier rode another one of his Broughs (he owns
several) in the Cannonball. A New Orleans, Louisiana, native, he
has a unique perspective on his bikes: “This one is Margaret Ann.
She's a fat ugly woman who can cook. Also has a sense of humor.
Darlene is the redhead over there. She gave us trouble.” Darlene
is indeed eye-catching — a photo of this 1925 SS 100 was used
on the cover of the program given out to all Quail participants —
but Margaret Ann (No. 38 in top photo), a less pristine machine,
made it to the Cannonball finish line, and Darlene didn't.
Another of the 10 on display was a Brough Superior Alpine
Sports sidecar outfit. This Brough factory-built sidecar features
a roll bar that doubles as an auxiliary gas tank. Jack Wells, the
owner, explained that since the outfit only gets 25 miles to
the gallon, the 2 gallons in the roll bar extend time between
fill-ups an additional 50 miles. The side car also featured leaf
springs for a comfortable ride and a four-point attachment to
the motorcycle for rigidity (the industry standard was just three
points). Chris Allen, a friend of Jack Wells who helps him work
on his Broughs, says that the sidecar almost feels like it is rub-
ber mounted. “Broughs were very innovative for their time. The
Brough is a great bike. It runs well, is easy to start, and interesting
to work on,” Chris says. The 12th edition of the Quail Motorcycle
Gathering is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2020. MC16 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2019
The 100th anniversary of Brough Superior
Story by Margie Siegal, photos by Robert Smith