You may remember, a couple of years ago, I wrote about Cameron Racing Engines, a British firm rebuilding old J.A. Prestwich engines. At the same time, we found a new firm in the process of restarting the Brough Superior marque, building brand new JAP powered motorcycles with the Brough Superior name. I’d forgotten about the startup company until I was looking over a brochure for the upcoming Pebble Beach motorcycle auction, August 14-16, and noticed that, 2 original 1939 Broughs will be auctioned, but more interesting, it will be the American debut of the brand new 2009 Brough Superior. Two bikes will be on display and for sale while deposits will be accepted for brand new built to order machines.
It appears Cameron Racing Engines will be building the V-Twin powerplants for these new bikes, built in the image of the originals. Production will be very low while price will be rather high but variable depending on owner requirements, since new owners will actually have a lot of say in the exact specs for their new bikes as they’re built, somewhat like the old coachbuilders in the early days of the automobile. Mark Upham, CEO, also indicates, the company may be building bikes with new designs as well, which could be very interesting.
This project has been in the works for years so the current economic environment is an unfortunate occurrence that adds a little challenge to the launch, but if the new Brough Superior lives up to its name, I hope it does very well.
Link: Brough Superior Motorcycles Ltd.
Link: Pebble Beach Councours
Link: Mid America Auctions
mobilus says
One of the great classic (gorgeous) motorcycles. I hope they pull it off.
nobody says
As much as the Crocker is, uh, respected, I always thought the Brough, and Coventry Flying 8, were far more desirable.
Phoebe says
Holy cow, that is one gorgeous V-twin!
GenWaylaid says
Best of luck to Brough-Superior, though they are debuting a super-high-end marque at the worst possible time in recent memory.
Those JAP engines were so common that they’re the quintessential V-twin for an entire era. I like the possibility of building a brand new Morgan 3-wheeler reproduction with the correct engine.
Doug K says
“brand new JAP powered motorcycles with the Brough Superior name”
There’s the problem. It is not a Brough, it’s a new frame with a JAP clone engine. The new “Brough Superior” might be beautiful, well engineered, a fine motorcycle, but it’s no more a Brough Superior than the “Gilroy Indians” with their Harley clone engines were genuine Indian motorcycles. Buying or licensing a great name might allow a company to legally use a name and logo and try to lay claim the heritage of the older brand they purchased but it does not make them the real thing anymore than buying a great painting makes a person a great painter.
kim says
To Doug K; using your criteria, one cold argue that the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters currently under construction aren’t ‘real’ Me 262s either. Modern GE engines and modern flight instruments aside, they are constructed using the same methods employed in the mid-1940s, so their ‘Werks’ numbers are just continuing where the WW2 numbers stopped (or – as it could be argued – were interrupted).
Yakolev of Russia did a similar thing a few years ago, by building a dozen WW2-era Yak-3 prop fighters, with an Alison V12 in place of the original Klimov. Now they were built using original tooling and by the original factory, so maybe that should make them even more authentic than the German jet. Or not?
Comparing a new Brough Superior engine, like the one in question, to a Harley clone engine makes no sense, as the latter has no similarity to the original Indian engines.
In the end the prices the new Broughs will command will settle the issue. If they can be sold at the same level the old ones can, and be accepted at the Brough clubs, they can fairly be considered equals.
WRXr says
This is beautiful! But I don’t think you can expect them to command the same prices as an ANTIQUE Brough. This is understandable as antiques typically have a price structure all their own depending on their HISTORY. The ANTIQUE Broughs typically have quite a history, while the new machines won’t have any.
But, I can also completely understand the high price tag for a new machine. The limited production cannot be inexpensive. In some respects the end product will certainly be better than the ANTIQUE Broughs: Better materials. better machining tolerances, better paints and chemicals, etc. I would be surprised if it were any other way.
Walt says
Another great story, Paul!
This is a beautiful engine to look at and an interesting craftsmanship project. But as others have commented, it won’t be a vintage Brough as they quit building those a long time ago. Therefore, even if better built than the original, even if the builders own the name and follow the original plans, it won’t be a REAL Brough. The bikes, though interesting and quite an achievement, will always have an asterisk by the name: (*not a vintage Brough Superior).
todd says
So, what makes an old one more desirable? Is it that it’s old? Is it just because it suggests the owner has been into this longer than you have or that he has more money? I think if we like a bike because of its attributes then another bike with the exact same attributes should be just as appealing. Otherwise it’s all about bragging rights and pompous attitudes.
Vintage Broughs aren’t as valuable as they are because they are some sort of great bike, it’s because it’s a famous bike and because someone else just paid more than the last guy for one. One-upmanship for sure. I like Vincents better even though they aren’t worth nearly as much.
-todd
WRXr says
“So, what makes an old one more desirable? Is it that it’s old?”
Yes.
That’s the way it is with antiques.
Moreso with Broughs because they were rare and desireable when they were new, and that makes them an especially desirable antique. Much like a Dusenberg, Auburn, old Rolls, Vincent, Bugattis, etc.
Someday the same status will probably be granted on Bimota Tesi, Mclaren F1, etc.
I’d add, additionally it requires a bit of PR. The British classic bike mags have made the Brough and old brit bikes in general well known, and therefore desired by a wider audience. Therefore the get more bidders at auction and command higher prices.
Meanwhile other bikes of similar caliber, such as the Crocker, are less well-known, therefore less in demand at auctions and therefore command less money. Not that Crocker prices need much help…they are still astronomical.
Duncan Moore says
The Brough Superior name was until last year owned by the same person that owns the JAP name and manufacturing rights, an old gent called Alec Card who lives in Kent in the UK. When I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of years ago, in his tiny workshop in his garden, he was building a new Brough Superior using the original techniques and materials. The same workshop was also full of JAP engines, single and twins, in various states of builds and he was looking at fuel injection options for the new engines too.
Alec and his son Dave are now moving into bike production using their own JAP engines. More details here – http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2009/May/11-17/may1109-rebord-firm-jap-asks-mcn-readers-to-name-bike/?&R=EPI-108283
Mehul Kamdar says
Any attempt at bringing back grand old names is laudable. Of coure, the originals will always be mroe valuable becaue of their rarity. But new vehicles under an old name need to meet newer standards of safety, to address modern environmental concerns and much more. You cannot expect a revived Brough Superior to be like one of the originals in every respect. The new Triumph motorcycles are not exactly the same as the old ones – they pay homage to an old name using modern technology. The new Indian motorcycles are attempting to do the same thing, much like the attempts at reviving Vincent, Brough and any other old marque are trying to do.
Instead of knocking someone for trying to use modern technology to revive a great old name, Variety is, after all, the spice of life.
Doug K says
Kim,
The ME 262 recreation project is amazing. The ME’s, no matter how accurately made, are replicas, or at best an evolution of the ME262, not originals even though the German government blesses the serial number sequence. Same with the Brough, the Stellican Indian, and the Vincent, the Dreer Norton, and the rest.
It’s my personal opinion that great brands that have passed on into history deserve to rest in peace and on the greatness they earned in their own generation. If people have the time, money and skill to re-create a bike (unless there is an historical reason as with the ME262 aircraft) then they should do their own, original work like their motorcycling predecessors did, and then claim their own share of history and greatness.
Doug
Kenny says
It’s not the government that has given the go ahead to continue the frame production with official serial numbers, it’s the Messerschmitt Foundation. Anyone know what exactly this foundation is. I know that the current “Messerschmitt” is buried deep within the EADS corporation.
I like the idea of resurecting both the JAP and Brough names, and would hope they’d follow the path of Triumph so that by the time i’m able to afford something with the Brough name stamped on the side of it they’ll be back at the cutting edge of technology
Tank Slapper says
I like how the manufacturer is going to create a more customized bike, with more flexible specs, like the old Brough. But the engine looks exactly the same as the old one. Are we looking at just another replica, or a new bike? It would be nice to bring back the bikes of old, but in all honestly, we’re talking about a machine that was built in 1938. Also, do you think that the Brough Dream will come back? It’s sad that the little flat-4 never got its chance in the spotlight, and it was such a promising bike.