Brough Superior’s elite motorcycles are handcrafted to create a unique blend of luxury, adventure and passion. Before becoming French, the motorcycle brand was English. The expert hands of French craftsmen brought about the rebirth of this cult British brand. Brough Superior was founded in 1919 by the famous Gentleman Racer George Brough. The British motorcycle brand immediately lived up to the avant-garde spirit of Nottingham, its birthplace. Ridden by great adventurers and record-breakers, Brough Superior’s British motorcycles quickly became legendary for their unparalleled design quality
Born on April 21, 1890 in Nottingham, George was the second son of William Edward Brough, a motorcycle builder. In 1919, George decided to follow his dream and build the finest, luxurious and most powerful motorcycles, in a word “Superior”.
The resulting Brough Superior motorcycles set new standards, even being assembled in white gloves! Rigorous testing ensured that all parts assembled well before painting and chrome, as well as open road tests to ensure that the speed promised, will be attained (SS80, 80 mph; SS100, 100 mph).
Production stopped in 1940 and did not restart after the war, essentially due to a lack of sufficiently high-quality parts, however George continued to make and sell parts until the late 1960’s. In all, just 3048 motorcycles were produced over 21 years, including 300 examples of the famous SS100.
Thierry Henriette, from Boxer Design, in Toulouse, France is reviving this most legendary of brands and the new models are proving themselves more than worthy of the high standards set by George.
After revolutionizing the luxury motorcycle industry, the brand created by George Brough has never lowered the bar of its pillars of excellency. The legacy lives on today with a driven and passionate team, propelling the brand into a new chapter of timeless design and cutting-edge technology.
Brough Superior motorcycles remain unique in their elegance, craftsmanship and advanced engineering. The brand closed its doors on the eve of World War II and has remained an elusive legend ever since. Brough Superior’s original DNA lives on in today’s designs. T.E. Lawrence, arguably the most famous gentleman adventurer of his time. His thirst for exploration remains an inspiration for Brough Superior to this day. The brand is now 100% French, and driven by passionate individuals that share a relentless commitment to develop the next chapter in the story while retaining a strong British accent, which you can only appreciate by joining the elite of Brough owners.
The history of Brough Superior is inseparable from that of Sir Thomas Edward Lawrence, a colonel in the British army, better known as Lawrence of Arabia. The famous British motorcyclist with a passion for adventure, speed and fine machines who devoted his life to Brough motorcycles. Lawrence of Arabia owned 7 of these prestigious motorcycles and left a lasting mark on the brand’s history. To this day, his legacy continues to inspire the design of each new model; handcrafted luxury machines that preserve the iconic brand of legendary motorcycles’ DNA.
The legendary T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) famous as Lawrence of Arabia was a great lover of Brough Superior. Thomas Edward Lawrence was an officer of the British Army was renowned for his role in the British-Ottoman conflict and the Arab uprising during the First World War. As a writer, he describes his glorious activities so well in his autobiographical book “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, which inspired the world-famous 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia”.
Lawrence of Arabia was particularly keen on Brough motorcycles, as he covered about 300,000 km in 11 years from the property from where he keeps a detailed log of his motorcycle trips.
