Top of the top ten results at the Mecum John Parham auction earlier this month was a 1927 Brough Superior SS100 Pendine Replica, said to be one of the finest examples of the model in the world. The hammer price? A staggering $220,000.
The auction was effectively the sale of the US National Motorcycle Museum, with a wide-ranging selection of classic motorcycles brought together by collector John Parham. The collection was being sold off after his death.
So what were the top ten?
1 1927 Brough Superior SS100 Pendine Replica, $220,000
Built from a mix of old (forks, gearbox, wheels and possibly the frame) and new (engine, fuel tank, fenders, etc.) components, the complete machine was assembled with period-correct components to a standard that is rarely achieved by restorers of machines with full factory provenance.
The Brough Superior collector community has a well-established relationship with replica and semi-replica machines, as demand for early SS100s has long exceeded the supply of complete machines, and after nearly 100 years many engines without frames and vice-versa can be found scattered around the world.
The Brough Superior Owner’s Club recognises and identifies such machines, with an understanding that a superb replica has significant value, especially when identified as such: in other words, they have their place in the Brough Superior community.
SPEC
Engine J.A.P. 998cc/45hp V-twin, with 3-speed Sturmey-Archer manual (hand-shift)gearbox
Alloy tank with black knee pads and matching mudguards
Dual brown leather saddle bags
Bonniksen speedometer
Small wind screen
Dual exhaust with finned headers and perforated contrasting ends
60 inch wheelbase
2 1906 Curtiss Twin, $214,500
3 1920s Shell Service Station, $188,000
4 1916 Thor Model U, $121,000
5 1933 Brough Superior 11/50, $115,500
6 1913 Sears De Luxe Dreadnaught Twin, $110,000
7 1955 Vincent Black Prince, $110,000
8 1937 Brough Superior SS80, $110,000
9 1906 Crouch Model 154, once owned by Steve McQueen, $99,000
10 1952 Vincent Black Shadow, $93,500
