A 1929 Brough Superior 986cc SS100 Alpine Grand Sports has become the world's most expensive bike ever sold at a public auction. The bike recently went under the hammer in London, and was sold for a staggering GBP 315,000 (Approx Rs 3.03 crore). The record was previously held by another Brough Superior, i.e. the Brough Superior SS80 model, which was auctioned for GBP 291,200 in 2012.
Brough Superiors were known for their exclusivity, and only 3,048 units of 19 models were made in 21 years. If you haven't figured out already, these bikes were immensely expensive; hence, only a few people owned these. T.E. Lawrence, a World War 1 British Army officer, owned 8 of these bikes, and met his end due to injuries in an accident that involved one of the Superiors he owned. Interestingly, he owned the SS100 Alpine Grand Sports that was auctioned in London.
The Brough Superiors offered high-performance and quality, which endowed them them with several race victories and speed records between 1920 and 1930. The SS100 (Super Sports) models were powered by Matchless 1000cc overhead valve V-twin engines . Just so you know, only 383 models of SS100 were produced between 1924 and 1940.
Image Credits
First Image - The Vintagent
Second Image - Brough Superior
