Brough Superior bikes revved up for Bonhams sale Oct. 21

The remarkable “barn-find” 981cc 1925 model (estimate £55,000-£75,000) has been owned by the same family since new and off the road since 1930.

Bonhams sold a 1924 model – thought to be the most original surviving example of its type – at the Autumn Stafford Sale last year. The machine, also offered at auction for the first time in its history, sold for £100,500.

Founder of the Vintage Motor Cycle Club, the late C.E. “Titch” Allen OBE, bought his “Black Bess,” as the machine came to be known, using a £50 gratuity given to him in the aftermath of World War II, during which he served as a dispatch rider and a sergeant, being awarded the British Empire Medal.

He had a life-long love affair with the Brough Superior marque, and in a 1997 letter to the current owner, said of 1930 Brough Superior SS-80 De Luxe: “In many ways it was the most important bike in my life.”

Restored to original specification by marque specialists during the 1990s after its acquisition by the current vendor, the motorcycle is offered for sale in excellent condition, and is estimated to realize between £80,000 and £120,000.

“Brough Superiors still in the possession of the first owner’s family can, in all probability, be counted on the fingers of one hand. So this wonderfully original and unrestored 1925 model, accompanied by a fascinating history file, represents a possible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for discerning collectors,” said Ben Walker, head of the Bonhams motorcycle department.

“With the 1929 Grindlay-Peerless ‘Hundred Model’ that won the Brooklands Gold Star award for a 100mph lap in 1937, Aled Jenkins’s fantastic collection of modern Japanese classics and now these two machines, as well as many other exciting motorcycles, the Bonhams Autumn Stafford Sale is shaping up to be one of our most important sales of the year,” said Walker.