A very special 1938 Brough Superior SS100 sold for an incredible £241,500 at the Iconic Auction staged at the NEC Classic Motor Show, Birmingham on Sunday, 12 November 2023.
The SS100 featured, reg GUM 239, is fitted with a 990cc Matchless overhead valve, one of just 102 Matchless engined Broughs built. Of that total just 34 had a sprung frame with around 25 surviving today.
GUM 239 is a well known machine, in excellent condition, being restored by Brough specialist Tony Cripps in 2010. It was fitted from new with a four-speed Norton gearbox, Castle forks and twin float carburettor.
It was registered new on New Years Eve 1938 and shipped to dealers Watson Cairns Ltd. of Leeds. Its history is known back to 1954 and there’s an extensive history file. This includes photos of the bike on a test run with Ron Storey and Barry Robinson in 1954 at the Brough Superior Works in Nottingham, and at a Brough Rally in 1962 as a combination.
There are copies of old RF60 log books, photos and details of its restoration in 2010, original continuation RF60 dated 1954, a letter from Barry Robinson and copies of the article he wrote, restoration documents and photos, two old MOTs, old tax discs and other associated paperwork. The original fuel tank is included but not fitted.
GUM 239 is the winner of numerous awards including ‘Best MX SS100’ at the Brough Rally (twice), ‘Best Ridden to Show’ once and ‘Best Bike’ at VMCC Rally twice
Iconic Auctioneers believes the only bike more special than GUM 239 would be the Brough Superior ridden by T E Lawrence if ever that turned up for sale. That would probably reach £1m.
Iconic said the Classic Motor Show auction had more than 166 collectors’ cars, 256 motorcycles and over 150 lots of automobilia. The result was a £7m sale with a 70 % sales rate, which helped raise £28,688 for The Kids Club Kampala Charity.
