Brough Superior may have been forced out of business by the outbreak of war in 1940, but unlike other small pre-war motorcycle builders its name hasn’t been forgotten. Quite the opposite, in fact. Motorcycle enthusiasts exalt the Brough Superior name like no other, and even peripheral admirers who don’t know much about the bikes do at least know one thing: it is ‘the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles’.

The Brough story begins in 1908, when William E. Brough started producing his own high-quality motorcycles in his Nottingham workshop. They did great justice to the Brough name, but his son George felt they could be improved upon and so set up his own company, appropriately called Brough Superior.

Launched in 1922, the S.S.80 was one of George Brough’s first products. Leaving little room for improvement, it would remain in production until 1939 when it still led the market, and may have gone on for even longer had war not interfered. Most buyers found their machines to be nothing short of perfect, the reason for that being that each one was tailored to the client’s bespoke requirements, and quality control was of the most careful stringency.

Each Brough Superior was assembled twice, the first time being to ensure good fitment, and the second occurring after the parts had been painted or plated. Since its name stood for ‘Super Sports’ and designated the bike’s ability to reach 80 mph, each example was tested at that speed before it was delivered to its buyer. It was about the S.S.80 that the ‘Rolls-Royce’ metaphor was written, when H. D. Teague reviewed an early example for The Motor Cycle.

Of course, such quality comes at a price. The starting price for Brough Superiors in the 1920s was £100, or half the average annual salary, so ownership was strictly for the great and the good. T. E. Lawrence was famously a loyal customer, buying eight Brough Superiors before his death in 1935, the first being an S.S.80 he christened Boanerges, a Hebrew name meaning ‘Sons of Thunder’. The S.S.80’s other great claim to fame was that a tuned example was ridden by George Brough to become the first side-valve motorcycle to lap Brooklands at over 100 mph. Brough entered that bike in 52 races and won 51 of them, the only failure being the fault of a puncture.

The painstaking nature of the construction meant that by 1940, only 3048 Brough Superiors of all models had been built. Of those, around 1000 survive today, so any one which appears for sale is an opportunity to acquire something historically important and truly exclusive.

This Brough was supplied new through the Croydon showrooms of Godfrey’s Ltd., which by 1936 had taken over from the Allen Bennett Motor Co. as the main Brough Superior agent for the London area. The earliest details of ownership date from 1969, when it belonged to John Christopher Parker of Maidstone. In June 1971 ownership passed to John Wilson Bell of Twickenham, but in October 1972 it returned to Kent in the new ownership of Roger Albert Everest of Dartford. Everest became a long-term owner, retaining the Brough until 1995, when he sold it to Verralls, the well-known classic motorcycle dealership in West Sussex.

Since Brough Superiors are always in high demand, this one must have been purchased for the personal enjoyment of the Verrall family as they did not part with it until 2019, when it was bought by the present owner, a longstanding motorcycle enthusiast and collector. Since its acquisition it has seen light use, and when not being ridden has occupied garage space alongside some of the finest names in British motorcycling from the 1920s to the present.

As a true enthusiast with the fullest appreciation of the motorcycles he owns, the owner enjoys riding all his machines. To that end, he does not keep them over-polished or trailer them around to shows, preferring instead to use them, with all that that entails. The vendor has taken sufficient care of his machines to ensure that they run like clockwork, start willingly and run smoothly and reliably. It is in that spirit that the Brough has been maintained, and while it may not be concours, a better-running example will be hard to find.

The vendor retains an attachment to all his bikes, but the decision to start a new life in Sweden means the collection has to be sold.

The Brough Superior comes with an extensive collection of paperwork. Besides the current V5, there is a green logbook containing the details of ownership between 1969 and 1972, as well as copies of more recent logbooks confirming ownership changes. There are also some old M.o.T. certificates issued in 1997 and 1998. As well as the invoice for the sale from Verrall’s to the vendor, there is a 2005 bill from E. L. Salmons for rebuilding the magneto and other work.

Some of the paperwork pertains to the Brough’s specification and authenticity. This is the result of an effort by Verrall’s and the Brough Superior Club in 1995 to have the D.V.L.A. amend its records, which mistakenly referred to the bike’s frame number as M8/1535 when it is in fact M8/1536.

The S.S.80 is in fantastic condition all round, evidently the recipient of a restoration at some point in the past which has now mellowed nicely. The black paint looks lovely, being in good condition but having acquired some patina over the past. There are some minor scratches and chips in places, for instance on the pannier boxes but, far from detracting from the bike’s appearance, we think they enhance its character.

If we can find a few small faults in the paint, we cannot do so with the chrome plating on the fuel tank, which is as grandiose and opulent a tank as ever there was on a motorcycle. Although it has a few light marks on the surface, looking upon the tank is just like staring into a mirror, and all the other chromed parts are just as good. The decal on the tank is a little bit faded, with a wonderfully aged feel.

The Lycetts ‘Aero’ seat is almost certainly the original item, although it may have been recovered at some point. If it is original, the pillion seat probably is, too, since both are presented in exactly the same condition, completely intact but looking just ever so slightly aged. The leather faces of the pannier boxes really do look to be original, since they have aged very beautifully and acquired a visible patina, while still remaining supple and in very good condition generally.

We have seen this bike fire up and can only say that we were thoroughly impressed not only by how well it ran but also by its brilliantly deep, sonorous and steady exhaust note. It isn’t really enough for the Brough Superior to be regarded as one of the best-looking motorcycles of all time. It should really be regarded as one of the best-sounding.

The bike received some extensive mechanical attention in 2005 when the magneto was rebuilt and the bike was fitted with several new parts including a new clutch plate and new front springs, all the work being undertaken by E. L. Salmons.

Although it runs and has been ridden, it has not actually been taxed for the road since 1992 and it does not have a current M.o.T. With this in mind, we can make no guarantees as to its roadworthiness, but since it has been so well cared for, we do not envisage any serious problems arising for a long time yet.

There are motorcycles and there are motorcycles, and then there are Brough Superiors. One may frequently see cars referred to as a ‘gentleman’s grand tourer’, but here is the motorcycle for the discerning gentleman. The fact it’s one of the best-looking motorcycles ever built is self-evident, but it’s just beautifully refined as its appearance suggests and it has a turn of speed which is impressive even in the modern world. We can only begin to imagine just how staggered motorcyclists were when they read Teague’s glowing review in The Motor Cycle.

Here is one with a documented history of three careful owners since 1972, with many years spent in the hands of a well-regarded classic motorcycle shop. It has evidently been very well looked after, and it shows in the bike’s beautiful, lightly patinated condition. With such a limited production run and around 1000 survivors, when you buy a Brough you are not merely buying a rare bike but an exclusive one, one which knows it stands head and shoulders above the rest – one that is, indeed, superior.