Brough Superior is beyond reproach when it comes to the benchmark of motorcycle build quality, so much so that it is a well-documented story that after a visit by the bigwigs at Rolls-Royce, they were able to compare the marques in advertising. Yet the “Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles” would be better compared to the far more sporting Bentley. Directed more to the solo rider far more interested in performance, Brough’s marketing turned to the racetrack. In 1922, in the hands of George Brough, a stripped down JAP-powered SS80 became the first sidevalve-engined machine to lap Brooklands at 100mph on its very first outing. “Spit & Polish” as the bike was known, was renamed Old Bill for its racing career, in which it won 51 of the 52 races entered, failing only in the last because of a blown tire.
After a brief absence in the early 1930s, the SS80 re-appeared in 1935 as the SS80 Special, this time with an engine built by Associated Motor Cycles. Similar to that of the Matchless Model X, the 982cc sidevalve v-twin incorporated Brough’s preferred ‘knife-and-fork’ big-end bearing arrangement instead of the side-by-side connecting rods of the Matchless. The SS80 continued to use the AMC engine until production ceased in 1939.
This 1938 Brough Superior SS80, one of 460 built with the Matchless engine and one of approximately 300 known to survive, comes to us from a Southern California amateur restorer of the very highest quality British machines and collecting enthusiast. Its Brough Superior Owners Club record card shows that this machine was supplied new to main dealers E W Burnett & Co of Selsea, Portsmouth and assigned number plate ARV 901 and in rather unusual specification with sprung rear frame and Druid forks, one of only 7 to have left the factory to this design. It was sold in 1939 to another motorcycle dealer in Portsmouth, G E Minnell, on February 3rd 1938 and in 1954 was purchased by one D D MacDonald, of Edinburgh. Its date of last use by him is not known, but the SS80 was being kept in good dry storage when viewed in 1981. After Mr MacDonald’s death the machine passed through the hands of approximately three UK dealers before being sold to the USA circa 1993. First owned there by L Henning, of Florida, it was acquired by Bob Schanz circa 2000. Purchased by our vendor a few years ago, the bike remains in unrestored, original condition,
Under the present ownership, a sympathetic mechanical overhaul included:
The result is a fine running Brough. As easy to start as a 1960s Triumph, the motorbike idles smoothly and runs wonderfully well, transporting you to the 1930s in an instant.
We just received this email verifying some of the history. We hope to have photographs of the family on the bike in the late 1950s:
This was my father’s ss80 Brough Superior .your information in your webpages is correct in identifying my father as D D Macdonald. I was serving in the British Army when the Brough left the family’s. ownership’s as sadly my father had a heart attack, but we never knew where the bike had ended up. It was part of my life from 1958 onwards as a faithful Motor bike taking us on holiday from Edinburgh to a small village, Brora, in the North of Scotland and we used to travel with a sidecar. At this time several interested parties wanted to buy the Brough but my father would never part with it.. It was a surprise for me to find the Brough had ended up in the USA. I have photographs of me and my family with the Brough on our holidays. –Douglas MacDonald
Engine no. BS/X 4669
Frame no. 1943
Location: Ventura, California
SOLD
