A 1940 Brough Superior SS100 motorcycle is to go under the hammer and is expected to fetch the equivalent of as much as R2.8-million.
Brough Superiors have been described as "the Rolls-Royces of Motorcycles". The brand was synonymous with performance, engineering excellence and a top-notch finish.
LAWRENCE ONE OF FIRST
The SS100 model for auction at a Bonham’s event in California on August 18 was the last to leave the company’s Nottingham factory. Only 71 specimens still exist of those assembled between 1924 and 1940. In their heyday the Brough Superior SS100 counted many celebrities among its fans – most notably T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia).
Lawrence was one of the first to purchase an SS100 in 1924 and was riding another SS100 when he had a fatal accident in 1935.
In 2008 Bonhams made history when the company sold a Brough Superior SS100 for the princely sum of £1.8-million (about R20-million), a world record at the time and the highest price paid for a British motorcycle at auction.
If the estimates for Thursday’s auction are anything to go by, that record won’t be around for very much longer.
Brough Superiors have been described as "the Rolls-Royces of Motorcycles". The brand was synonymous with performance, engineering excellence and a top-notch finish.
LAWRENCE ONE OF FIRST
The SS100 model for auction at a Bonham’s event in California on August 18 was the last to leave the company’s Nottingham factory. Only 71 specimens still exist of those assembled between 1924 and 1940. In their heyday the Brough Superior SS100 counted many celebrities among its fans – most notably T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia).
Lawrence was one of the first to purchase an SS100 in 1924 and was riding another SS100 when he had a fatal accident in 1935.
In 2008 Bonhams made history when the company sold a Brough Superior SS100 for the princely sum of £1.8-million (about R20-million), a world record at the time and the highest price paid for a British motorcycle at auction.
If the estimates for Thursday’s auction are anything to go by, that record won’t be around for very much longer.