George Brough established his own motorcycle manufacturing company at Haydn Road Nottingham, having fallen out and left Brough, the company owned by his father, W.E Brough due to a disagreement concerning cylinder angles. W.E. Brough had become an advocate of the flat twin, adopting ABC engines for his motorcycles before moving on to the production of his own engines retaining the configuration with capacities of 496cc to 810cc, a move that George did not support and which prompted the production of some of the most iconic motorcycles ever produced. George was well known as a competitor in motorcycle racing, highly regarded as a technician and understood the value of marketing. He successfully utilised all of these talents in elevating his machines to being objects of desire, items that did more than simply provide transport.
His flair for marketing was highlighted when he successfully sought permission from the illustrious car maker to describe his machines as "The Rolls Royce of Motorcycles", combined with his insistence that only the best components were used in the creation of the motorcycles bearing the Brough Superior script and that they were then assembled with a level of care and precision beyond that of other manufacturers ensured that the motorcycles leaving his premises were more than the sum of their parts. His competition background resulted in machines that handled and went as well as they looked, whilst the "bespoke" nature of the machines, a catalogue was published, the machines therein representing a starting point for the would be owner who could then tailor his choice of basic model to his or her own requirements.
As the 1930's opened the worlds economic climate was in dire straits and even manufacturers such as Brough Superior, despite their illustrious client base, were forced to make concessions in order to survive.
Image and description kindly supplied by H&H Classic Auctions
