1927 Brough Superior SS100 Pendine Works Racer

This is an original ‘SS100’ Pendine model, one of the rarest and most desirable Brough Superior models ever made and were built to the same specification as the Works competiton SS100 models and created for just a handful of privateer Brough clients who wished to compete with them, the name Pendine coming from the famous Pendine Sands in Wales where Brough enjoyed much success with beach racing in period.

This bike was sold new from the factory to C.F.Edwards in 1927 and used by him for racing until about 1930.  Edwards was a motorcycle dealer from Cirencester and friend of George Brough and had purchased this bike to replace his 1925 SS100 ‘Sandracer’. On this machine he enjoyed considerably more success than his previous machine, some of his results are listed below:

Pendine 1927- 1^st – 1 mile sidecar race

Southport 1927- 1^st 86.03mph

Southport 1928- 1^st Straight mile

Southport 1929- 1^st straight mile

Southport 1929 – 1^st 10 mile sidecar race

Pendine 1929 – 1^st 20 mile sidecar race

Southport 1930 – 1^st – straight mile sidecar race

The machine enjoyed further success at Brooklands and is mentioned in Hartley’s ‘Brooklands Bikes in the Twenties’ (page 205) where the bike placed well in the 200 mile sidecar race.  I believe that there is also mention of the bike in other published literature.

The file contains a letter from Mike Leatherdale, Registrar of the Brough Club, who notes ‘It is exceptionally early JTOR engine in an SS100’ and he could find only two bikes listed with this racing engine that were earlier, the machines of ‘Meyer’ (works rider) and the works own ‘Storey Sprinter’. This latest and most powerful engine no doubt had a positive influence on Edwards success in competition.

In August 1930, it appears to have been returned to the factory for conversion to road use.  It was sold ex factory to ‘Dorrian’ in August 1930.  Nothing much is known about this ownership. There would have only been minor changes to the bike to be made road legal, most notably a headlamp, horn and kickstart.

By the 1950s the bike was acquired by of Gordon Hills which is recorded in the buff log book and Hills subsequently part exchanged the bike with an Matchless from motorcycle dealer Comerford’s. The bike remained with Comerfords for the next 45 years and was loaned to Horizon Pictures to feature in the 1962 epic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

The machine was used by the production company to film the opening scene with lead actor Peter O’Toole riding, the sequence then replicates the accident that led to T.E.Lawrence’s death. It is understood that O’Toole was not the most competent rider and as such the bike was positioned on a trailer for part of the filming after he fell off riding it!

Following Comerford’s closure, Teddy Comerford sold to the bike to the late Brian Verrall in 2000. Verrall was one of the most well-respected vintage motorcycle dealers on the planet and a long term associate of my father and he commissioned my father to restore it back to original 1927 specification

In 2002 Verrall sold the bike to the current owner following my fathers restoration. The current owner recently quoted:

‘I have done very little mileage on the bike which has been in house (literally) for some 10 years.  For a time, I lent the bike to the Pendine Museum which had it on show in a glass case next to the car called Babs (which held the land speed record).

The bike remains in exceptional condition today and importantly retains its original matching frame and engine. Without doubt one of the most significant Brough Superior models that exist today and with superb competition history and exceptional film provenance