BROUGH BACK AT BONNEVILLE

It appears the revived Brough Superior is feeling its oats and wanting to test its mettle at the Bonneville Salt Flats, after an absence of 60 years, when Noel Pope made an ill-fated attempt with a streamlined B-S to take the motorcycle Land Speed Record (which would make an excellent post...).  Mark Upham has no such ambitions with this proposed foray onto the salt, but would like to 'see what she'll do'  - she being an SS101 'Pendine' model (apparently, 'Bonneville' is taken...) with a specially-tuned JAP engine, which will be redubbed the 'Retro'.

Alistair Gibson (above), who was present at the Men's File party in Paris, is heading up the team, and brings considerable experience with F1 race team management, and prior experience with speed attempts at Bonneville, having broken a record with his Honda F1 car in 2006 (below).

Depending on the speed achieved by the 'Retro', replica machines with tuned engines may be dubbed 'SS120', or 'SS127.543'...  In any case, The Vintagent will be present to document the experience, and hopefully grab saddle time on the salt.

Here's the press release:

"Mark Upham, CEO of Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd [above, with Gibson], is delighted to announce the firm will be contesting Bonneville Speed Week next year with a new machine based on the existing 1927 SS100 Pendine model, which was first unveiled at Pebble Beach in August 2009.  The machine will be known as the Brough Superior SS100 Retro; it will be running on pump fuel, un-streamlined.  Design, style, and construction will be the direct responsibility of Alistair Gibson, formerly chief mechanic for Honda Formula One, and lifelong 2-wheel enthusiast. After a quarter century working for several Champions in F1 Alistair now works from his own design studio near Oxford.  “When Mark approached me with the idea of a “Retro” machine for Bonneville I was immediately fired up; I know the extent of the challenge, having previously been deeply involved on the salt in 2006, with the Honda F1 car that broke the existing record for the category!” 

The motivation for this exciting project comes from Mark Upham himself, who confirms that the project is to be funded by Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd.  In anticipating the machine’s final completion and testing by July it is then intended the “Retro” will be despatched to Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage in Los Angeles where, after re-assembly, it will be shown for the first time.  The “Retro” will then be displayed on the Brough Superior stand at Pebble Beach in mid-August, prior to shipment to the Bonneville Salt Flats towards the end of that month. The “Retro” machine’s progress can be followed on the firm’s website: www.brough-superior.com

Mark Upham says, “Alistair has been helping us for the past two years; I am therefore delighted to have him so closely involved with the “Retro” project, which effectively, is Brough Superior’s first return to Bonneville after an absence of 60 years!”

[Below, Noel Pope with his streamlined B-S, at the Salt Flats, 1949.  He crashed the thing, vowing 'never to ride a streamlined motorcycle again.']

BROUGH BACK AT BONNEVILLE

It appears the revived Brough Superior is feeling its oats and wanting to test its mettle at the Bonneville Salt Flats, after an absence of 60 years, when Noel Pope made an ill-fated attempt with a streamlined B-S to take the motorcycle Land Speed Record (which would make an excellent post...).  Mark Upham has no such ambitions with this proposed foray onto the salt, but would like to 'see what she'll do'  - she being an SS101 'Pendine' model (apparently, 'Bonneville' is taken...) with a specially-tuned JAP engine, which will be redubbed the 'Retro'.

Alistair Gibson (above), who was present at the Men's File party in Paris, is heading up the team, and brings considerable experience with F1 race team management, and prior experience with speed attempts at Bonneville, having broken a record with his Honda F1 car in 2006 (below).

Depending on the speed achieved by the 'Retro', replica machines with tuned engines may be dubbed 'SS120', or 'SS127.543'...  In any case, The Vintagent will be present to document the experience, and hopefully grab saddle time on the salt.

Here's the press release:

"Mark Upham, CEO of Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd [above, with Gibson], is delighted to announce the firm will be contesting Bonneville Speed Week next year with a new machine based on the existing 1927 SS100 Pendine model, which was first unveiled at Pebble Beach in August 2009.  The machine will be known as the Brough Superior SS100 Retro; it will be running on pump fuel, un-streamlined.  Design, style, and construction will be the direct responsibility of Alistair Gibson, formerly chief mechanic for Honda Formula One, and lifelong 2-wheel enthusiast. After a quarter century working for several Champions in F1 Alistair now works from his own design studio near Oxford.  “When Mark approached me with the idea of a “Retro” machine for Bonneville I was immediately fired up; I know the extent of the challenge, having previously been deeply involved on the salt in 2006, with the Honda F1 car that broke the existing record for the category!” 

The motivation for this exciting project comes from Mark Upham himself, who confirms that the project is to be funded by Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd.  In anticipating the machine’s final completion and testing by July it is then intended the “Retro” will be despatched to Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage in Los Angeles where, after re-assembly, it will be shown for the first time.  The “Retro” will then be displayed on the Brough Superior stand at Pebble Beach in mid-August, prior to shipment to the Bonneville Salt Flats towards the end of that month. The “Retro” machine’s progress can be followed on the firm’s website: www.brough-superior.com

Mark Upham says, “Alistair has been helping us for the past two years; I am therefore delighted to have him so closely involved with the “Retro” project, which effectively, is Brough Superior’s first return to Bonneville after an absence of 60 years!”

[Below, Noel Pope with his streamlined B-S, at the Salt Flats, 1949.  He crashed the thing, vowing 'never to ride a streamlined motorcycle again.']

LATEST BROUGH SUPERIOR: T.E. LAWRENCE REPLICA

The headline could simply read, 'The World's Most Expensive Production Motorcycle', as indeed it seems Brough Superior holds that distinction, then as now.  And, while the term 'production' may be stretched a bit by actual numbers in the metal to date (three!), I'll take Mark Upham, president of Brough Superior Motorcycles, at his word that he fully intends to build his 'SS101' models on a regular basis in the foreseeable future, or at least as long as there is demand at the very top of the pyramid.

The latest Brough is a full-on replica of T.E. Lawrence's 1926 mount, 'George IV', so named after George Brough himself (with a nod to several Kings George of course), the middle number of Lawrence's 8 Broughs, and perhaps his best known, as it forms the central character of his most famous essay from 'The Mint' ('The Road' - which can be read in full here), an account his ride on 'George IV' across the English countryside, and his encounter/race with an RAF Bristol biplane.

As the factory build sheet still exist for this machine, and several photographs document Lawrence astride the actual bike, it was a fairly straightforward exercise to build a replica...excepting of course that every part of an SS100 as it came from BS was a one-off, and thus there were no patterns for the 'extras' which TEL specified, and they all had to be scaled up from photographs, with invisible details such as luggage latches, his service cane, etc, all requiring investigation for period authenticity.  Such is the obsession of Brough collectors (including Mr. Upham himself) with Lawrence of Arabia, and historical accuracy.

The 'Lawrence Replica' débuted at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last month, at the Brough Superior stand within the RetroAuto tent, which was actually open from Thursday thru Sunday, and was accessible at no charge (barring the $10 fee for vehicle access to 17-Mile Drive, motorcycle or car).  As last year, a very handsome display was assembled by US Brough importer Bryan Bossier (of Sinless Cycles), which included 3 (of 5 completed) 'new' Broughs, along with two of Bryan's personal machines.

As an added attraction, BS teamed up with legendary/notorious sculptor Jeff Decker, who happened to be mid-carve on a portrait of TE Lawrence on that very machine!  A perfect moment to share space with Decker's Hippodrome Studios, and a fascinating live demonstration of his prodigious skills as a manipulator of clay and wax.  I'm sure for Jeff the sculpture provided a welcome distraction from the stream of visitors wanting a meet n' greet, but for anyone interested in his process, it was a rare opportunity to see his masterful technique...Jeff has an embarrassment of talent, and an irreverent sense of humor which does well to balance viewer intimidation while demonstrating his skills.  (I'll give a full post to Mr. Decker shortly).

The TE Lawrence Rep (the metal one) is, as with the previous two 'SS101' models, simply a magnificent creation, and very likely a better machine than the original - certainly with its improved technical specification this is so.  As those who actually saw a new 1926 SS100 are scarce or dead, I'll have to leave a comparison of 'fit and finish' as a hanging question mark, but the new machine is nearly flawless in execution.  There are no cut corners, no easy modern replacements for items which needed to be replicated, however small, to make the 'SS101' appear as a 1926 motorcycle.  It was king of the road in the 1920s, the fastest road motorcycle you could buy, and for most of the next 14 years, the fastest motorcycle in the world, period. That's quite a pedigree.

Alas, I didn't get a ride on the TEL Rep; I'm hoping that might come about in October, back in Austria. Stay tuned.

LATEST BROUGH SUPERIOR: T.E. LAWRENCE REPLICA

The headline could simply read, 'The World's Most Expensive Production Motorcycle', as indeed it seems Brough Superior holds that distinction, then as now.  And, while the term 'production' may be stretched a bit by actual numbers in the metal to date (three!), I'll take Mark Upham, president of Brough Superior Motorcycles, at his word that he fully intends to build his 'SS101' models on a regular basis in the foreseeable future, or at least as long as there is demand at the very top of the pyramid.

The latest Brough is a full-on replica of T.E. Lawrence's 1926 mount, 'George IV', so named after George Brough himself (with a nod to several Kings George of course), the middle number of Lawrence's 8 Broughs, and perhaps his best known, as it forms the central character of his most famous essay from 'The Mint' ('The Road' - which can be read in full here), an account his ride on 'George IV' across the English countryside, and his encounter/race with an RAF Bristol biplane.

As the factory build sheet still exist for this machine, and several photographs document Lawrence astride the actual bike, it was a fairly straightforward exercise to build a replica...excepting of course that every part of an SS100 as it came from BS was a one-off, and thus there were no patterns for the 'extras' which TEL specified, and they all had to be scaled up from photographs, with invisible details such as luggage latches, his service cane, etc, all requiring investigation for period authenticity.  Such is the obsession of Brough collectors (including Mr. Upham himself) with Lawrence of Arabia, and historical accuracy.

The 'Lawrence Replica' débuted at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last month, at the Brough Superior stand within the RetroAuto tent, which was actually open from Thursday thru Sunday, and was accessible at no charge (barring the $10 fee for vehicle access to 17-Mile Drive, motorcycle or car).  As last year, a very handsome display was assembled by US Brough importer Bryan Bossier (of Sinless Cycles), which included 3 (of 5 completed) 'new' Broughs, along with two of Bryan's personal machines.

As an added attraction, BS teamed up with legendary/notorious sculptor Jeff Decker, who happened to be mid-carve on a portrait of TE Lawrence on that very machine!  A perfect moment to share space with Decker's Hippodrome Studios, and a fascinating live demonstration of his prodigious skills as a manipulator of clay and wax.  I'm sure for Jeff the sculpture provided a welcome distraction from the stream of visitors wanting a meet n' greet, but for anyone interested in his process, it was a rare opportunity to see his masterful technique...Jeff has an embarrassment of talent, and an irreverent sense of humor which does well to balance viewer intimidation while demonstrating his skills.  (I'll give a full post to Mr. Decker shortly).

The TE Lawrence Rep (the metal one) is, as with the previous two 'SS101' models, simply a magnificent creation, and very likely a better machine than the original - certainly with its improved technical specification this is so.  As those who actually saw a new 1926 SS100 are scarce or dead, I'll have to leave a comparison of 'fit and finish' as a hanging question mark, but the new machine is nearly flawless in execution.  There are no cut corners, no easy modern replacements for items which needed to be replicated, however small, to make the 'SS101' appear as a 1926 motorcycle.  It was king of the road in the 1920s, the fastest road motorcycle you could buy, and for most of the next 14 years, the fastest motorcycle in the world, period. That's quite a pedigree.

Alas, I didn't get a ride on the TEL Rep; I'm hoping that might come about in October, back in Austria. Stay tuned.

BROUGH-SUP IN 'THE FINANCIAL TIMES'

By Simon de Burton
From the Financial Times:

"As motorcycle launches go, this one was far from ordinary: the champagne was pink, the canapés were exquisite, the host wore black tie and the location could certainly be described as enlightening (an antique chandelier shop in Chelsea's King's Road). I'd like to say it was all somewhat superior, but it was actually more than that - it was all rather Brough Superior.

The point of the soirée, you see, was to celebrate the fact than an Englishman  called Mark Upham has delighted enthusiasts by returning Brough Superior to the road following its cessation of motorcycle production in 1940, having made little more than 3,000 machines in a a 20-year period. But what machines they were. "As fast and reliable as express trains and the greatest fun in the world to drive," is how Lawrence of Arabia described them, while the former editor of The Motorcycle, H.D. Teague, summed them up as being quite simply "the Roll-Royce of motorcycles". It shows there was something to be said for the pursuit of perfection.

During the early 1900s, George Brough started working in his father's car and motorcycle business, but found that Pater's standards just weren't hight enough. so he left to set up his own company, wheeling the first Brough Superior out of his Nottingham workshop in 1919.

Within three years he was building his tuned SS80 model (guaranteed good for 80mph) and took to the track at Brooklands. His fellow competitors laughed at Brough's pit-lane pampering of the bike he named 'Spit and Polish' - until he won the expert's scratch race and set a new 100mph lap speed. He won 51 of his next 52 races, too, only being denied victory in the last after he fell off.  The bike, of course, dutifully kept goin and crossed the finish line first.

By the time Brough had introduced his SS100 model in 1924 (each one tested by the proprietor at 100mph) and the Alpine Grand Sports for hard-riding tourists, the Brough Superior legend was established and had Lawrence of Arabia as its most famous patron - he bought his first in 1922 and called it Boanerges, following with six others named George II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII.  He died on the George VII in May 1935 while awaiting delivery of the eighth, after he swerved to avoid two boys on bicycles and then crashed.

Lawrence and writer George Bernard Shaw were among several big names drawn to Broughs for their exceptional fit and finish, their relative exclusivity, and no doubt, their reassuring high price tags. Brough fans enjoy quoting the fact that, at around £150, an SS80 cost more than a small house in 1923.

Such attributes have made original models highly sought-after; Bonhams sold two bikes in 2008 for £166,500 (a world record for a UK motorcycle) and £151,100 respectively - which is why Upham's decision to make and sell brand-new Brough Supriors that look exactly like those of old is attracting global interest.

He has read the market well. During the past five years he has sold 46 original examples from BoA (British Only Austria), the thriving classic motorcycle business that he runs from a substantial farmhouse in the small Austrian town of Pettenbach, supplying rare machines and parts to all corners of the globe.

However, Upham will only say that there are Brough Superior original on the market for between £250,000 to £1m. (Lawrence of Arabis's 'death bike', incidentally - which was privately owned and shown at London's Imperial War Museum in 2006 - could be worth up to £1m, although its owner turned down an offer of $2.5m in 1997).

Upham, 53, set up his first motorcycle shop in Somerset in 1977, having left his Hampshire boarding school, Red Rice, to attend agricultural college where he spent most of his time 'learning to weld'. He had harboured a desire to reinstate Brough since buying his first example as a wreck, aged 19, but it was not until the trademark, name, and intellectual rights (for the UK, EU, and Japan) appeared in a Bonhams sale catalogue in 2007 that his dream became a possibility.

In the event, the lot was withdrawn, and Upham entered int negotiations to buy it privately.  He finalised the deal in 2008 and spent the following year working on a trio of prototypes with the look, sound and performance of the original but built using 21st-century materials and engineering that would have been beyond the wildest dreams of the nit-picking George Brough.

The modern-day Brough contains few English-made components simply becuase Upham has some of the best engineering facilities in the world on his doorstep some casts will come from a workshop just an hour from home that produces parts for Lamborghini and Audi; engine crankcases will be made across the border in Germany; and the frames have been designed and stress-tested at Austria's Leoben University to ensure thy are of a higher specification than the less-then-perfect originals.

Upham's project quickly came to the attention of an American road-building tycoon who offered to sponsor him to appear with two prototypes at 2009's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the presigious classic car show that is visited by some of the world's wealthiest petrolheads.  Among those attneding was television host and motorcycle nut Jay Leno who said the new Broughs were 'the best thing he'd ever seen at the event'. The owner of six originals, Leno was at first convinced that the replicas were immaculately restored examples from the 1920s and had one of them removed from its stand so that he could be filmed riding it for his car-and-motorcycle themed website (www.jaylenosgarage.com).

"To see a brand-new one [Brough Superior] was stunning", Leno said afterwards. "Everything was just as it would have been in 1925. To be able to thrash is as you would a new motorcycle back in the day was pretty amazing.  It was a real thrill.  During the war people put them away in their sheds an covered them with straw to save them from being taken for scrap for the war effort, because they were just so valuable."

Upham has so far completed new version of the Alpine Grand Sports tourer and the legendary Pendine racing model, so named after taking first and second place at the 1928 Pendine one-mile sprint race. Only one machine has been sold - to the supportive American highway builder whose private mechanic is currently engaged in long-term tests of the machine at La Rochelle, France.

The order book is, however, now open for production to commence - but don't all rush at once becaues tehse machines are not going ot be cheap "I don't wish to say how much one will cost, but it will be a six-figure sum. It will be less than the price of a good, original example - but still as much as a small house in some places," says Upham, cryptically.  "The website is currently attracting 1,000 hits a month, but one of the main aspects of the bike is that it will be mega-exclusive.  I have had letters asking: 'How much is it?' but this misses the point.  Not wishing to sound arrogant, but if you're concerned about how little you can buy it for, you're not the person for a Brough Superior. I'd rather sell five machines to people I like and who understand than 25 to people I don't like - those who write me a nice letter get a positive response", says Upham, who is happy to produce three to six bikes a year.  "I'm fortunate in not needing to do anything fast", he adds.

It may sound like an eccentric way to do business, but Upham is not taking the potential of Brough Superior lightly.  The motorcycles will remain core, but he has made sure that the name can be licensed for use on any number of products.  "I would like Brough Superior to be a household name.  I have registered it in Europe for everything from beers and wines to jewellery, jackets and shaving foam, and I'm looking for merchansdising partners.  That way we can create our own capital to keep building motorcycles without borrowing money", says Upham.

Brough Superior champagne, anyone?"

BROUGH-SUP IN 'THE FINANCIAL TIMES'

By Simon de Burton
From the Financial Times:

"As motorcycle launches go, this one was far from ordinary: the champagne was pink, the canapés were exquisite, the host wore black tie and the location could certainly be described as enlightening (an antique chandelier shop in Chelsea's King's Road). I'd like to say it was all somewhat superior, but it was actually more than that - it was all rather Brough Superior.

The point of the soirée, you see, was to celebrate the fact than an Englishman  called Mark Upham has delighted enthusiasts by returning Brough Superior to the road following its cessation of motorcycle production in 1940, having made little more than 3,000 machines in a a 20-year period. But what machines they were. "As fast and reliable as express trains and the greatest fun in the world to drive," is how Lawrence of Arabia described them, while the former editor of The Motorcycle, H.D. Teague, summed them up as being quite simply "the Roll-Royce of motorcycles". It shows there was something to be said for the pursuit of perfection.

During the early 1900s, George Brough started working in his father's car and motorcycle business, but found that Pater's standards just weren't hight enough. so he left to set up his own company, wheeling the first Brough Superior out of his Nottingham workshop in 1919.

Within three years he was building his tuned SS80 model (guaranteed good for 80mph) and took to the track at Brooklands. His fellow competitors laughed at Brough's pit-lane pampering of the bike he named 'Spit and Polish' - until he won the expert's scratch race and set a new 100mph lap speed. He won 51 of his next 52 races, too, only being denied victory in the last after he fell off.  The bike, of course, dutifully kept goin and crossed the finish line first.

By the time Brough had introduced his SS100 model in 1924 (each one tested by the proprietor at 100mph) and the Alpine Grand Sports for hard-riding tourists, the Brough Superior legend was established and had Lawrence of Arabia as its most famous patron - he bought his first in 1922 and called it Boanerges, following with six others named George II, III, IV, V, VI, and VII.  He died on the George VII in May 1935 while awaiting delivery of the eighth, after he swerved to avoid two boys on bicycles and then crashed.

Lawrence and writer George Bernard Shaw were among several big names drawn to Broughs for their exceptional fit and finish, their relative exclusivity, and no doubt, their reassuring high price tags. Brough fans enjoy quoting the fact that, at around £150, an SS80 cost more than a small house in 1923.

Such attributes have made original models highly sought-after; Bonhams sold two bikes in 2008 for £166,500 (a world record for a UK motorcycle) and £151,100 respectively - which is why Upham's decision to make and sell brand-new Brough Supriors that look exactly like those of old is attracting global interest.

He has read the market well. During the past five years he has sold 46 original examples from BoA (British Only Austria), the thriving classic motorcycle business that he runs from a substantial farmhouse in the small Austrian town of Pettenbach, supplying rare machines and parts to all corners of the globe.

However, Upham will only say that there are Brough Superior original on the market for between £250,000 to £1m. (Lawrence of Arabis's 'death bike', incidentally - which was privately owned and shown at London's Imperial War Museum in 2006 - could be worth up to £1m, although its owner turned down an offer of $2.5m in 1997).

Upham, 53, set up his first motorcycle shop in Somerset in 1977, having left his Hampshire boarding school, Red Rice, to attend agricultural college where he spent most of his time 'learning to weld'. He had harboured a desire to reinstate Brough since buying his first example as a wreck, aged 19, but it was not until the trademark, name, and intellectual rights (for the UK, EU, and Japan) appeared in a Bonhams sale catalogue in 2007 that his dream became a possibility.

In the event, the lot was withdrawn, and Upham entered int negotiations to buy it privately.  He finalised the deal in 2008 and spent the following year working on a trio of prototypes with the look, sound and performance of the original but built using 21st-century materials and engineering that would have been beyond the wildest dreams of the nit-picking George Brough.

The modern-day Brough contains few English-made components simply becuase Upham has some of the best engineering facilities in the world on his doorstep some casts will come from a workshop just an hour from home that produces parts for Lamborghini and Audi; engine crankcases will be made across the border in Germany; and the frames have been designed and stress-tested at Austria's Leoben University to ensure thy are of a higher specification than the less-then-perfect originals.

Upham's project quickly came to the attention of an American road-building tycoon who offered to sponsor him to appear with two prototypes at 2009's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, the presigious classic car show that is visited by some of the world's wealthiest petrolheads.  Among those attneding was television host and motorcycle nut Jay Leno who said the new Broughs were 'the best thing he'd ever seen at the event'. The owner of six originals, Leno was at first convinced that the replicas were immaculately restored examples from the 1920s and had one of them removed from its stand so that he could be filmed riding it for his car-and-motorcycle themed website (www.jaylenosgarage.com).

"To see a brand-new one [Brough Superior] was stunning", Leno said afterwards. "Everything was just as it would have been in 1925. To be able to thrash is as you would a new motorcycle back in the day was pretty amazing.  It was a real thrill.  During the war people put them away in their sheds an covered them with straw to save them from being taken for scrap for the war effort, because they were just so valuable."

Upham has so far completed new version of the Alpine Grand Sports tourer and the legendary Pendine racing model, so named after taking first and second place at the 1928 Pendine one-mile sprint race. Only one machine has been sold - to the supportive American highway builder whose private mechanic is currently engaged in long-term tests of the machine at La Rochelle, France.

The order book is, however, now open for production to commence - but don't all rush at once becaues tehse machines are not going ot be cheap "I don't wish to say how much one will cost, but it will be a six-figure sum. It will be less than the price of a good, original example - but still as much as a small house in some places," says Upham, cryptically.  "The website is currently attracting 1,000 hits a month, but one of the main aspects of the bike is that it will be mega-exclusive.  I have had letters asking: 'How much is it?' but this misses the point.  Not wishing to sound arrogant, but if you're concerned about how little you can buy it for, you're not the person for a Brough Superior. I'd rather sell five machines to people I like and who understand than 25 to people I don't like - those who write me a nice letter get a positive response", says Upham, who is happy to produce three to six bikes a year.  "I'm fortunate in not needing to do anything fast", he adds.

It may sound like an eccentric way to do business, but Upham is not taking the potential of Brough Superior lightly.  The motorcycles will remain core, but he has made sure that the name can be licensed for use on any number of products.  "I would like Brough Superior to be a household name.  I have registered it in Europe for everything from beers and wines to jewellery, jackets and shaving foam, and I'm looking for merchansdising partners.  That way we can create our own capital to keep building motorcycles without borrowing money", says Upham.

Brough Superior champagne, anyone?"

NOT YOUR AVERAGE PRESS RELEASE...

From Mike Jackson, Minister of Information for Brough Superior:

"A gleaming motorcycle (in fact it’s a Brough Superior, dating from 1927) be-graces the window of Mathew Upham’s elegant emporium at 584 King’s Road, Chelsea.  The motorcycle, built new in 2009, was the central display for several dozen kindred spirits from the automotive and antique world, gathered to celebrate the re-creation of this evocative brand.  Mark Upham (left of chandelier), the man behind Brough’s continuation, permits himself an approving gaze at the 1150cc twin-cylinder machine; the very bike which had been so enjoyably galloped by Jay Leno at Pebble Beach in August. [As well at The Vintagent!]

Together with identically dated machines constructed either for highway or touring, the 1927 competition model Pendine will be available to clients’ special order. 

Please refer to website: Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd "
(Photo courtesy Mick Duckworth)

NOT YOUR AVERAGE PRESS RELEASE...

From Mike Jackson, Minister of Information for Brough Superior:

"A gleaming motorcycle (in fact it’s a Brough Superior, dating from 1927) be-graces the window of Mathew Upham’s elegant emporium at 584 King’s Road, Chelsea.  The motorcycle, built new in 2009, was the central display for several dozen kindred spirits from the automotive and antique world, gathered to celebrate the re-creation of this evocative brand.  Mark Upham (left of chandelier), the man behind Brough’s continuation, permits himself an approving gaze at the 1150cc twin-cylinder machine; the very bike which had been so enjoyably galloped by Jay Leno at Pebble Beach in August. [As well at The Vintagent!]

Together with identically dated machines constructed either for highway or touring, the 1927 competition model Pendine will be available to clients’ special order. 

Please refer to website: Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd "
(Photo courtesy Mick Duckworth)

'LENA THE KILLER'

The previous post by 'Castor' set my memory board alight, wasn't there an article about 'Lena the Killer' in an older issue of Motor Cycling, and didn't I have a photo of Phil Irving with a Brough Superior record breaker?
The take-no-fools designer of the mighty Vincent twin (and diminutive Velocette LE!) isn't usually attached in folklore to George Brough's baby, but a most curious set of photos appeared last May in the fertile confines of a truck cab in Minnesota, registered to the Chantland family. Being the nosy sort, I photographed the lot front and back, and now take the opportunity to explore this seemingly forgotten and ill-documented foray of Australians riding British machinery on Austrian soil, snatching the World Land Speed Record from German hands.

Alan Bruce was well-known in Speedway circles, having set the sidecar lap record at Wembley Stadium in 1931. Australians have a dirty affinity for three-wheeled cinder sliding, then as now, and one commonly sees Vincent-powered crabs even today kicking up dirt Down Under. Bruce got the notion of a sidecar Land Speed Record while watching Paul Anderson take a national record with his Indian outfit, down Sellicks Beach, South Australia, in 1925. It took another 6 years of toil to modify an S.S.100 Brough Superior for a total speed attempt; a supercharger was added to the engine bay, and Alan Bruce hand-pounded a shapely set of aluminum alloy bodywork... which as you can see from the photos addresses the issue of drag by streamlining the rear of the outfit (including the rider's bum!). Which was the current thinking of the 1920s and early 30s, before extensive wind-tunnel testing of aircraft, cars, and lastly motorcycles, revealed that a very small frontal area was the real ticket for piercing the brick wall of wind which hits any vehicle at high speeds.

When finished, Bruce named his beast Leaping Lena, and sought a nice flat straight road to set his record. In 1931, there were only a few suitable locations for a really fast run; Hungary (Gyon and Tat), Austria (Neukirchner), the U.S. (Daytona/Ormond beach), the U.K. (Pendine or Southport beaches), France (Arpajon), and Germany (Ingolstadt). As speeds increased for record attempts, beaches became increasingly undesirable due to Neptune's fickle road-laying efforts, and attendant delays (read:money) for a perfect surface.

As all but the beach venues were public roads, the political machinations (read:money) required to arrange a few days' testing and eventual full speed runs could be daunting to a small and dedicated bunch of amateurs. Which virtually ALL those deeply speed-bitten proved to be, until National (Socialist) pride began to throw money at all sorts of sporting contests, and little swastika roundels appeared on the tails of wingless two-wheeled aircraft, and armbands on their riders. But I'm getting 5 years ahead of our story.

In 1931, Alan Bruce and Englishman Arthur Simcock took Leaping Lena to Tat in Hungary for a series of unsuccessful runs at the Motorcycle Land Speed Record, solo and sidecar. She can be seen at Simcock's side in the top photo, sans third wheel, taken on site at Tat, where various mechanical issues beset them like gremlins, and the pair headed back to England for a winter's work sorting out Issues like supercharged induction, etc. Note the copious oil leakage from the lower bodwork panels; one wonders if the lower 'tub' is in fact filled with oil!

Late April 1932 saw our familiar pair of Bruce/Simcock joined by Phil Irving, who must have provided a measure of technical expertise to sort out the troublesome animal that was Lena. Chosen venue was Neukirchner, near Vienna, and local Brough Superior agents Eddy and Kent Meyer lent a hand in any way useful - Eddy being a real champion of the marque in Europe, having won over 80 'firsts' in competitions with his Broughs. Arthur Simcock's record run without sidecar ended abruptly when his goggles were blown off at speed, followed shortly by the supercharger safety valve blowing off. Local support for Lena ended there, as a local wag slipped a steel bolt into her induction tract and shortly ruined the supercharger, cutting their effort short while they frantically sought a new venue, and spares from England.

City officials of Tat were successfully cajoled (read:money) into allowing Lena's run on short notice, and our crew high tailed it towards Hungary in their truck, which blew up and delayed their arrival. Meanwhile, Arthur Simcock trained back to England for blower parts, returning to find lousy weather (why April?), but it was decided that April 30th would be The Day, and it dawned with strong winds. Clearly, the slab-sided aluminum body of Leaping Lena wasn't lethally beset by side wind handling anomalies, and a two-way average of 124mph was finally recorded, with a best one-way speed of 135mph... really going some for a rigid-frame bicycle on an iffy concrete surface. Bruce had the scare of his life while aviating the whole outfit at speed after hitting a bump with the chair wheel, the entire plot lurching nearly off the road. While distracted and momentarily shutting off, he didn't realize he had passed the timing strips and carried on at full bore, only to hit a railroad crossing at 135mph! Man, motorcycle, and sidecar shot into the air, split the streamlining on impact, and nearly sheared off the carburettor, but hard Aussie Bruce kept the animal between the hedges, and their day was done. As he said, "Yes, it felt fast all right!"

'LENA THE KILLER'

The previous post by 'Castor' set my memory board alight, wasn't there an article about 'Lena the Killer' in an older issue of Motor Cycling, and didn't I have a photo of Phil Irving with a Brough Superior record breaker?
The take-no-fools designer of the mighty Vincent twin (and diminutive Velocette LE!) isn't usually attached in folklore to George Brough's baby, but a most curious set of photos appeared last May in the fertile confines of a truck cab in Minnesota, registered to the Chantland family. Being the nosy sort, I photographed the lot front and back, and now take the opportunity to explore this seemingly forgotten and ill-documented foray of Australians riding British machinery on Austrian soil, snatching the World Land Speed Record from German hands.

Alan Bruce was well-known in Speedway circles, having set the sidecar lap record at Wembley Stadium in 1931. Australians have a dirty affinity for three-wheeled cinder sliding, then as now, and one commonly sees Vincent-powered crabs even today kicking up dirt Down Under. Bruce got the notion of a sidecar Land Speed Record while watching Paul Anderson take a national record with his Indian outfit, down Sellicks Beach, South Australia, in 1925. It took another 6 years of toil to modify an S.S.100 Brough Superior for a total speed attempt; a supercharger was added to the engine bay, and Alan Bruce hand-pounded a shapely set of aluminum alloy bodywork... which as you can see from the photos addresses the issue of drag by streamlining the rear of the outfit (including the rider's bum!). Which was the current thinking of the 1920s and early 30s, before extensive wind-tunnel testing of aircraft, cars, and lastly motorcycles, revealed that a very small frontal area was the real ticket for piercing the brick wall of wind which hits any vehicle at high speeds.

When finished, Bruce named his beast Leaping Lena, and sought a nice flat straight road to set his record. In 1931, there were only a few suitable locations for a really fast run; Hungary (Gyon and Tat), Austria (Neukirchner), the U.S. (Daytona/Ormond beach), the U.K. (Pendine or Southport beaches), France (Arpajon), and Germany (Ingolstadt). As speeds increased for record attempts, beaches became increasingly undesirable due to Neptune's fickle road-laying efforts, and attendant delays (read:money) for a perfect surface.

As all but the beach venues were public roads, the political machinations (read:money) required to arrange a few days' testing and eventual full speed runs could be daunting to a small and dedicated bunch of amateurs. Which virtually ALL those deeply speed-bitten proved to be, until National (Socialist) pride began to throw money at all sorts of sporting contests, and little swastika roundels appeared on the tails of wingless two-wheeled aircraft, and armbands on their riders. But I'm getting 5 years ahead of our story.

In 1931, Alan Bruce and Englishman Arthur Simcock took Leaping Lena to Tat in Hungary for a series of unsuccessful runs at the Motorcycle Land Speed Record, solo and sidecar. She can be seen at Simcock's side in the top photo, sans third wheel, taken on site at Tat, where various mechanical issues beset them like gremlins, and the pair headed back to England for a winter's work sorting out Issues like supercharged induction, etc. Note the copious oil leakage from the lower bodwork panels; one wonders if the lower 'tub' is in fact filled with oil!

Late April 1932 saw our familiar pair of Bruce/Simcock joined by Phil Irving, who must have provided a measure of technical expertise to sort out the troublesome animal that was Lena. Chosen venue was Neukirchner, near Vienna, and local Brough Superior agents Eddy and Kent Meyer lent a hand in any way useful - Eddy being a real champion of the marque in Europe, having won over 80 'firsts' in competitions with his Broughs. Arthur Simcock's record run without sidecar ended abruptly when his goggles were blown off at speed, followed shortly by the supercharger safety valve blowing off. Local support for Lena ended there, as a local wag slipped a steel bolt into her induction tract and shortly ruined the supercharger, cutting their effort short while they frantically sought a new venue, and spares from England.

City officials of Tat were successfully cajoled (read:money) into allowing Lena's run on short notice, and our crew high tailed it towards Hungary in their truck, which blew up and delayed their arrival. Meanwhile, Arthur Simcock trained back to England for blower parts, returning to find lousy weather (why April?), but it was decided that April 30th would be The Day, and it dawned with strong winds. Clearly, the slab-sided aluminum body of Leaping Lena wasn't lethally beset by side wind handling anomalies, and a two-way average of 124mph was finally recorded, with a best one-way speed of 135mph... really going some for a rigid-frame bicycle on an iffy concrete surface. Bruce had the scare of his life while aviating the whole outfit at speed after hitting a bump with the chair wheel, the entire plot lurching nearly off the road. While distracted and momentarily shutting off, he didn't realize he had passed the timing strips and carried on at full bore, only to hit a railroad crossing at 135mph! Man, motorcycle, and sidecar shot into the air, split the streamlining on impact, and nearly sheared off the carburettor, but hard Aussie Bruce kept the animal between the hedges, and their day was done. As he said, "Yes, it felt fast all right!"