The Brough Superior SS100 was designed by George Brough and built in Nottingham from 1924. Every machine was assembled to its owner’s wishes, carried a guarantee of 100 mph and sold under the slogan the “Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles”.
Brough Superior SS100 at a glance
| Maker | George Brough, Haydn Road, Nottingham |
|---|---|
| Production | 1924–1940 |
| Engine | 1000 cc J.A.P. KTOR overhead-valve V-twin; Matchless from 1936 |
| Power | about 50 bhp from the later J.A.P. engines |
| Gearbox | three-speed Sturmey-Archer, chain drive; four-speed Norton from 1936 |
| Front fork | Castle, developed from Harley-Davidson practice |
| Guaranteed speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Built | about 283, of which 131 survive complete |
| Price, 1925 | £170 |
| Best auction result | £286,000 for a 1929 model in 2010 |
History of the Brough Superior SS100
George Brough built his first machines in his father’s Nottingham works before setting up on his own in 1919. The SS100, introduced in 1924, was the most famous of the 19 models the firm made: a 1000 cc overhead-valve J.A.P. V-twin in a light frame with a Castle front fork, itself a development of Harley-Davidson practice. The engine was the twin-cam KTOR unit from J. A. Prestwich, upgraded over the years; from 1936 a Matchless engine took its place and a further 102 machines were built with it. Each bike was assembled twice, stripped for painting and plating, rebuilt and test ridden before delivery. The slogan came from a magazine road tester’s review, and Brough only adopted it formally after a Rolls-Royce executive had toured the factory.
Development never stopped. The Alpine Grand Sports tourer appeared at the 1925 Motorcycle Show and the Pendine racing model, named after the sands where Malcolm Campbell set records, followed in the same year with raised ground clearance and a 110 mph guarantee. Rear suspension arrived in 1928; the gearbox was replaced in 1929 by a three-speed “super heavyweight” Sturmey-Archer to cope with 50 bhp; the 1934 Alpine used the 75 hp “two of everything” J.A.P. with two magnetos and two oil pumps. A foot gear-change came in 1935 and a four-speed Norton gearbox in 1936. Production stopped for the Second World War, when the works turned to war work.
Racing made the reputation. Bert le Vack held seven world records on Broughs, George Brough and Freddie Dixon took the kilometre at 130 mph in 1927, and in 1939 Noel Pope lapped Brooklands at 124.51 mph on an SS100 — a record that still stood when the track closed. Eric Fernihough took a supercharged, streamlined SS100 to 273 km/h in Hungary in 1937. In 2013 the revived Brough Superior company announced a new SS100 for the model’s 90th anniversary; the first were delivered in 2015 with a 997 cc V-twin of 120 hp, a magnesium, titanium and aluminium chassis and four-disc front brakes.
Design and features
- Individual build: every SS100 was made to order, so hardly two were alike.
- Guaranteed 100 mph: each bike was tested to the model’s rated speed before delivery.
- J.A.P. V-twin: a 1000 cc overhead-valve engine of about 50 bhp, the strongest road unit of its day.
- Castle fork: light and strong, and a large part of the SS100’s handling reputation.
- Continuous development: rear suspension, bigger brakes, foot change and a four-speed gearbox arrived through the 1930s.
Brough Superior SS100 versions
- SS100 (1924–1940): the standard sports model.
- Alpine Grand Sports (1925–): full touring specification, later with the 75 hp engine.
- Pendine (1926–1930): racing version with a 110 mph guarantee and extra ground clearance.
- Matchless-engined SS100 (1936–1940): 102 built after the J.A.P. supply ended.
- New SS100 (2015–): the French-built anniversary model with a 997 cc V-twin.
The smaller Brough Superior 680 used the same J.A.P. V-twin layout in a 680 cc form, and a scaled-down SS100 with that engine was ridden in Vienna in 1927. More machines are in the Brough Superior collection.
Video: 1930 Brough Superior SS100
Video by Jay Leno’s Garage on YouTube.
Sources
- Brough Superior SS100, English Wikipedia: origins, engines, records, Lawrence
- Brough Superior SS100, German Wikipedia: production totals, engine details, new model
