Photo: Bonhams
When it comes to vintage motorcycles, most of us think about bikes that look great in a larger collection, and that are lorried to bike shows from time to time. Well, this 1936 Brough Superior SS100 has a different story, as we are looking at a motorcycle that has been touring the UK recently.
In fact, the latest trips sum up for around 3,000 miles (4,800 km) and includes a tour of Wales, adding to the approximately 78,000 miles (125,500 km) this SS100 clocks.
Back in the day, the Brough Superior SS100 were regarded as the era's superbikes, as each machine came with a factory warranty stating that it was tested for doing over 100 mph (160 km/h) over the quarter-mile (400 m) distance.
While this doesn't seem like a thing to write home about today, back in 1925 when this Brough Superior model made it on the market, such performance meant quite a lot.
As you can see in the few photos auction house Bonhams provided, the this Brough Superior SS100 might use a bit of loving restoration, unless the future owner prefers to leave it proudly show its age. Honestly, for a bike that's almost 80 years old, this SS100 looks pretty good, and is a wonderful proof that Brough Superior were manufacturing top-drawer bikes back in the day. This machine is expected to bring $320,000-370,000 (€291,000-337,000).
Save for the overall shape of the new SS100, everything is new, and the engine can even be remapped for a lot of extra power if the customer so desires. We got intimate with the new machine at EICMA 2014, and you can check out a huge Brough Superior SS100 picture gallery, as well as read the exclusive interview with the makers of the bike.
Back in the day, the Brough Superior SS100 were regarded as the era's superbikes, as each machine came with a factory warranty stating that it was tested for doing over 100 mph (160 km/h) over the quarter-mile (400 m) distance.
While this doesn't seem like a thing to write home about today, back in 1925 when this Brough Superior model made it on the market, such performance meant quite a lot.
How about a service book that trails back to 1957?
One of the very cool facts about this machine is that it comes with a ton of relevant paperwork. The paper trail goes back to 1957 and mentions that this bike had been attached to a sidecar. According to visordown, the papers include references to a recent rebuild worth $6,600 (€6,100).As you can see in the few photos auction house Bonhams provided, the this Brough Superior SS100 might use a bit of loving restoration, unless the future owner prefers to leave it proudly show its age. Honestly, for a bike that's almost 80 years old, this SS100 looks pretty good, and is a wonderful proof that Brough Superior were manufacturing top-drawer bikes back in the day. This machine is expected to bring $320,000-370,000 (€291,000-337,000).
The new Brough Superior SS100
Brough Superior is making a comeback, and a new, updated SS100 can be bought these days for around €50-55 k ($55,000-60,000). The new bike is powered by a 1,000cc v-twin with oil and liquid cooling making 120 hp and 100Nm (73.7 lb-ft) of torque.Save for the overall shape of the new SS100, everything is new, and the engine can even be remapped for a lot of extra power if the customer so desires. We got intimate with the new machine at EICMA 2014, and you can check out a huge Brough Superior SS100 picture gallery, as well as read the exclusive interview with the makers of the bike.
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