Brough Superior SS100 Salt Racer - Specifications & Review

Company History

Brough Superior occupies a mythic space in motorcycling. Founded by George Brough in Nottingham in 1919, the company built low-volume, high-spec machines that combined hand-picked components with exhaustive testing. Each SS100 left the factory guaranteed to hit its namesake speed—an audacious promise in the 1920s—and customers could specify details much like commissioning a tailored suit. The bikes’ fit and finish were extraordinary: polished alloy, nickel plating, and meticulous cable runs that made even stationary machines look poised. T. E. Lawrence’s devotion to his Broughs (and his fatal accident) became part of the legend, but the machines stood on their own—fast, stable, and refined at a time when much of the motorcycle world was still rough-hewn. Economic and wartime pressures ended original production in the 1940s, but the name returned in the 21st century under new stewardship, this time blending modern materials with the brand’s bespoke ethos. Historically, Brough Superior proved that motorcycles could be true luxury goods without sacrificing performance, setting a template for premium niches that persists today. Collectors prize prewar examples not only for rarity but for the way they ride: surprisingly civilized, with brakes and geometry that feel deliberate rather than experimental. In a sea of mass production, Brough made the case for excellence by hand, and a century later, the echo of that argument still turns heads and opens checkbooks.