1936 Brough SS80 and chair on eBay

Sumpster Andrew from New Jersey, USA has tipped us off about this beautifully restored 982cc Matchless-engined 1936 Brough Superior SS80 that's currently (as of 20th January 2014) on sale on eBay. As the time of writing, there's 1 day and 17 hours to go (ending 22nd Jan 08.35 PST).

The Brough, we hear, was found in a sorry state inside a storage locker somewhere in Texas way back in the autumn of 2009. The storage locker actually included 40 bikes, but it seems that this Brough was the prize. Fortunately, although the bike was largely disassembled, most of the parts were present and correct

Big D Cycles in Dallas are the guys behind the restoration. The engine was stripped, cleaned, inspected, fitted with a new ground camshaft and rebuilt. Ditto the gearbox. The magdyno was also refurbished.

The fuel tank was repaired stateside by Ross Thompson metal finishing. The brightwork was re-chromed by Brown’s Plating in Paducah, Kentucky. Brough specialists, British Only Austria, supplied most of the missing parts. New Avon tyres were then fitted to restored (and hand-lined) rims. Meanwhile, a circa-1930 Watsonian  sidecar was sourced, rebuilt, repainted, and pegged on the side.

But why fit the chair?

Well, Big D Cycles obtained copies of the Brough build sheets, and it appears that a Watsonian sidecar was part of the original sale. So what else can you do except doff your cap to history?

The bike (Reg: ACR 294) was despatched from the Brough factory on 9th October 1936 to Alec Bennett Ltd, The Broadway Garage, 152 Portswood Road, Southampton, Hampshire. But the engine currently fitted to the bike appears to have come from another Brough (Reg: CBY 120) supplied on 18th December 1936 to Godfreys Ltd, London Road, Croydon, Surrey.

ACR 294 was last taxed for use on British roads in 1962. A guy named Burtonshaw owned it at the time, and he also owned the other Brough. This probably accounts for the engine switch.

CBY 120, on the other hand, was last heard of in California where it will no doubt resurface at some time.

If you hurry, you can buy ACR 294 right now for $115,000, but the current eBay bidding is around $65,000—and it seems that 241 people are watching this sale to see exactly where the hammer falls.

There are some nice touches to the bike, by the way, including a set of tools (albeit with a repro tool pouch); a Lucas light bulb holder; and a "lid" for the sidecar. The machine, we're advised, starts, runs, ticks-over and does everything else that a bona fide, built in Haydn Road, Nottingham Brough Superior is supposed to do.

So if you want to bid, be quick and check eBay right now. Alternately, talk to Big D Cycles in Dallas, Texas and make your play. Either way, you might want to check out Big D's website and stay in touch with them. They've got various classics listed,  they sell parts, and they have a long racing history and know how to make a bike walk and talk.

Tell 'em Sump sent ya.

UPDATE: The bike did not sell on eBay.

www.bigdcycle.com

— The Third Man