George Brough-Owned 1939 Brough Superior SS100 Up For Auction
At the Bonhams Stafford Sale of Important Collectors’ Motorcycles and Related Memorabilia on April 27th, a 1939 Brough Superior SS100formerly owned by the famed designer, George Brough, will be put up for auction with other notable motorcycles and related items.
The Brough Superior, license number ’FTV 702’, was originally a sidecar that was registered by Brough on May 24, 1939. Just two days later, the sidecar took place in the London-Edinburgh endurance event with Brough piloting and with Motor Cycling journalist Henry Laird as his passenger. The article that Laird penned about the event was published in the June 14, 1939 issue of Motor Cycling, a copy of which will be included in the sale of the motorcycle.
Used extensively in 1939 in road tests and the Tour of Ireland, the motorcycle was advertised for sale in Motor Cycling in 1945 for £200. The Brough’s current owner acquired it from his father who bought it for £70 on August 14, 1961. In 1967, the motorcycle was placed in storage and was maintained with only intermittent use since then. Auctioneers expect the item to bring a price between £140,000–180,000 ($231,000–298,000).
As unique as that bike is, other motorcycles up for auction deserve a little attention, too. A 1975 Bimota 970cc HB1 will also be available. What makes this bike unusual is that, at that time, Bimotas were only supplied as kits for assembly by their customers. Only nine complete kits were produced in addition to the original racer. This bike is one of those ten total, making it extremely rare and highly desirable with an estimated bid of £55,000–65,000 ($91,000–108,000).
A 1929 Scott 596cc racing motorcycle which is a former “works” Scott racer. This model was traded with the factory to racer, Phil Vare, after the Isle of Man TT. Vare raced the bike on short-circuit events until he sold it. The current owner bought the bike in the 1960s and, knowing what a rare item he had, restricted the maintenance to mechanical reconditioning or replacement only with period parts. Expect to see a winning bid in the £23,000–28,000 ($38,000–46,000) range.
Learn more about these bikes and others at the Bonhams website.
[Source: Bonhams]
Like most of the best happenings in his life, Evans stumbled into his motojournalism career. While on his way to a planned life in academia, he applied for a job at a motorcycle magazine, thinking he’d get the opportunity to write some freelance articles. Instead, he was offered a full-time job in which he discovered he could actually get paid to ride other people’s motorcycles – and he’s never looked back. Over the 25 years he’s been in the motorcycle industry, Evans has written two books, 101 Sportbike Performance Projects and How to Modify Your Metric Cruiser, and has ridden just about every production motorcycle manufactured. Evans has a deep love of motorcycles and believes they are a force for good in the world.
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