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£70 Brough Superior to Fetch $300,000 in Auction

You never know which way the wind will blow, they say, and when it comes to vintage motorcycles, this saying hits the bullseye. We’re talking about a very rare 1939 Brough Superior SS100 which was bought for 70 GBP and will bring its owner a small fortune when auctioned at the end of April.
1939 Brough Superior SS100 7 photos
Photo: Bonhams
1939 Brough Superior SS1001939 Brough Superior SS1001939 Brough Superior SS1001939 Brough Superior SS1001939 Brough Superior SS1001939 Brough Superior SS100
The bike we’re talking about belongs to Eric Checkley, a Brit who purchased back in 1957 for the (now) ridiculous sum of £70. At that time, 70 British pounds were worth $195, which was more or less the price of a 2-years-old used car in the US. In today’s money, those 195 dollars would equal around $1,645 or €1,195, so not exactly a fortune.

Well, Bohnams auctions house expects the SS100 to bring in between £140,000 and £180,000, which equates to $234,000-301,000 or €170,000-218,400.Now we’re talking serious money, isn’t that so? Still, you’re most likely asking yourselves why is this particular Brough Superior SS100 THAT expensive…

Well, the first thing is most likely the very scarcity of such machines left in the world today. Around 70 SS100 are estimated to be left around the world, and this makes the SS100 an exceptional, instant collector item when discovered.

And what’s adding “money-almost-can’t-buy” value to this particular machine is the fact that it has been ridden by George Brough himself in the London-Edinburgh endurance run with Motor Cycling journalist Henry Laird in the sidecar. A copy of Laird’s article from that time is also supplied with the bike.

For more details on the story, visit the Bonhams dedicated webpage. I know there a math fallacy in the title, but you’ve got to admit it sound much more interesting this way.
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