Brough Superior – Every now and again an article catches our eye because it stands out encompassing a specific motorcycle with its history and its future. In this case the Brough Superior, as this iconic machine emerges from the past. A past that has been attached to the legend of “Lawrence of Arabia”.
The article that caught our eye, was recently published in The Road magazine (Motorcycle Action Group – members magazine). The editor, Ian Mutch welcomes back the Brough Superior and not only salutes Mark Upham, the marque’s fourth owner, his team of engineering artists but also the French government for their faith in bringing back a British icon.
A Bit Of Brough
Here we reproduce some the most interesting parts of the article, though the whole article is a captivating read. As Ian starts with the legend of the man that brought the original Brough Superior to an iconic status.
“There’s probably no other bike in history so connected to one man’s personality and one unfortunate event. Negative though that last ride was for Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) it added an increment of mystery to an enduring legend who had a passion for the machine that was known as the Rolls Royce of motorcycles.
Rather like the word ‘Great’ in GB, adopting the word ‘Superior’ for the bike’s name says something about the manufacturer’s perception of this motorcycling icon that is almost Arthurian in its legendary status.
Well the legend is back. The mummy has been liberated from its sarcophagus and is rolling free on the roads of our island nation once again.”
If you need a brief catch up on your 20th century history, a brief explanation of Lawrence of Arabia is included in the article.
“Lawrence was an enigmatic Englishman who organised an Arab revolt to overthrow centuries of Turkish rule in the Middle East.
Lawrence, whose exploits turned him into a reluctant national hero was a great advocate of the Brough Superior.”
You can read more on Lawrence in our own article Lawrence of Arabia and the Helmet Law that also looks at the introduction of the mandatory wearing of helmets in the UK and how Lawrence played some part in his death, bringing forward the eventual introduction of mandatory helmet wearing for riders.
However back to the present
“Who is it then who has breached the pyramid of peril to breathe life back into this quintessentially English creation of elite engineering?
Step forward Mark Upham, baron of the classic motorcycle parts trade, former bike dealer and entrepreneur extraordinaire.”
Ian goes on to explain the fascinating history of Mark’s family and some of Marks riding history which includes.
“Mark describes his riding achievements as few though in 2016 he crashed a 1924 Bert LeVac replica at Punks Peak in the Basque Pyrenees. He showed me a clip of the drama on his phone. This was no flash in the pan minor flicker of flame but a full bodied ‘stand well back’ fireball of promethean excess. The unplanned stunt earned him the nickname locally ‘Hombre de Fuego’ (Man of fire or Burning Man).
Mark is a mustard keen biker who started repairing British motorcycles at the age of 15. He bought his first Brough Superior project aged 20, the experience confirming an innate appetite for classic engineering that has determined the course of his colourful life so far.
He’s also raced a Vincent and side car at the Salzburgring, a contest in which he started last but finished first.
Mark now frequently rides with his daughter Viktoria, the heiress to his empire.”
You may have picked up at the start of this article that Ian saluted the French government for their faith in bringing back a British icon – well!
“While Mark intends to bring production to the UK eventually, the Toulouse connection reflects the French government’s €4m investment in his company. It was a business opportunity that our government turned down, though David Cameron personally invited Mark to No10 to talk over the project. Despite the PM’s enthusiasm, the opportunity for GB PLC to capitalise on its heritage fell foul of government accountants driven more by caution than imagination – c’est la vie.
By 2014 the first running motorcycle was born and 2016 saw the first deliveries of the new Brough Superior to customers.”
But what about the bike itself? Ian Mutch gets slightly punch drunk as he runs through a catalogue of technical language.
“Mark’s plan was to build a modern motorcycle in terms of quality, reliability and refinement, while staying faithful to the classic aesthetics of the George Brough originals.
Just as with the original Broughs, many companies are involved in the production, that distinctive long flat tank for example being constructed by aircraft manufacturer Airbus, who have used CNC machining to produce a unique appearance. If a single element of the bike provides the umbilical cord to the past that I sense Mark felt to be essential, then it is this fuel tank.
Astute observers will notice there is no frame downtube. The engine is a stressed member to which everything at the front of the bike is bolted.
I can’t avoid the phrase ‘steam punk’ rising to my keyboard as it just so is. The Brough hides nothing but makes exhibits of every element of its propulsion in a marriage of form with function that has no rival in contemporary engineering.”
What will it do mister? Would be a schoolboy’s question. A question maybe reminiscent of the days of the original bike, though possibly it’s more a grown up question!
“Mark describes the performance as “calm but impressive. It can be ridden as a normal motorcycle or at 130 mph. It is not heavy at under 200kg and has a wheel base that is about the same as the original Brough Superior’s.”
How much does all this cost?
“The Brough is very much a bespoke project with the cost of a machine rising way above the £58K base price depending on owner specification. What customers are clearly paying for, beyond the mystique of owning perhaps the world’s most exclusive motorcycle, is the privilege of being able to indulge their personal style or self-indulgent aspirations in an icon that will be tailor made to their every whim, like a Saville Row suit or a personally balanced Purdey shotgun.”
Finishing of the article Ian says, “welcome back” to The Brough Superior, The Rolls Royce of motorcycling.
T E Lawrence would approve.”
View the full article as a pdf – A Bit of Brough – 1.95mb
Original Article by Ian Mutch – Editor of “The Road” magazine – President of the Motorcycle Action Group – motorcycle travel writer and much more – www.mutchmotorcyclebooks.com
Loved your comment “As a youngster in Poole I often met a bloke who had an alleged Lawrence Brough with a dinged front mudguard. He always asserted this was the bike he died falling off. I thought his obsession was frankly a bit sick. No doubt a fortune was made by someone later out of this thing. ”
Reminds me of where we now reside. It seems that there are quite a few SAS Colonels residing here too.
Y’know – those that took part in the Libyan Embassy siege and were all on the balcony……… 🙂
Hmmm. The Rough Interior possibly the most hyped motorcycle in history.
There were others in that era using the same J A Prestwich engines from Tottenham that were as good or better. I have to hand it to those who have dined off the Lawrence connection for years. As a youngster in Poole I often met a bloke who had an alleged Lawrence Brough with a dinged front mudguard. He always asserted this was the bike he died falling off. I thought his obsession was frankly a bit sick. No doubt a fortune was made by someone later out of this thing.
The modern take on this thing looks awful. I did have some low cost fun with a JAP engine of the twenties back then. With a pal we worked out that one from a Morgan three wheeler could be shoe horned into a Norton Featherbed frame if we took off the front cylinder head first. So was born the JAPTON. It was featured in my first article in Motorcycle Sport.
As to Lawrence he wrote some great stuff and his home at Clouds Hill is worth a motorcycle ride to go and see. Dead spooky. There is a memorial to him in the church at Wareham.