Issued by: Change:
Brough’s motorcycle, popular with writer, spy activist and gentleman TE Lawrence, is making a comeback – not in their old home in England, but in the south west of the world. Frainge.
The production of Brough bicycles, with the historical figure known as “Lawrence of Arabia”, came to an end in 1940 when the factory in Nottingham was deployed for the British war effort.
Manufacturing did not begin after the war, but the memory of the bike has been kept alive over the decades by diehard – and flush – fans, with prices for the bikes sometimes reaching $ 600,000 at auction.
Meanwhile the motorcycle world began a crazy love affair with famous old British brands, with Royal Enfield, now Indian-owned, and Triumph leading the non-existent route.
‘The most beautiful’
Brough fans had to wait much longer for a revival, which began in direct shape in 2013 when Frenchman Thierry Henriette, a former Toulouse motorcycle dealer, met British Mark Upham , which had bought the Brough Superior trademark five years earlier.
Within three months Henriette came up with a prototype for a new Brough that won cheers when he showed it off at the Milan bike show.
Henriette started making, initially under license, before taking over the brand in 2018.
“I always thought Brough was the most beautiful motorcycle brand,” Henriette told AFP.
Production is based near Toulouse in southwestern France, but Henriette wanted a continuation of the brand’s English tradition.
It was an important moment when members of the Brough Superior Club made the trip to France on their bicycles from the 1930s to bless the campaign.
‘The English will forgive you’
“What we’re doing is stealing heritage,” acknowledged Brough Superior CEO Albert Castaigne. “But if you do it well, the English will forgive you.”
The memory of TE Lawrence, a bicycle lover, supporter of the Arab uprising during the First World War and author of “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, is a major feature of the longevity of the Brough legend.
Lawrence kept in regular contact with Brough founder George Brough, got a voice in the design of the bikes, and got seven, four of which were SS 100s, the model that still gets the racing hearts of aficionados.
He died in Dorset when he beat his sixth Brough before he could take seventh, a scene that was memorably captured in David 1962 ‘s great film Peter Lean starring Peter O’ Toole as Lawrence.
The state-of-the-art factory in Saint-Jean will deliver around 100 Brough bikes this year, at a price tag of 60,000 to 100,000 euros ($ 72,000- $ 120,000), with additional costing equipment.
Brough offers three non-retro models: a contemporary version of Lawrence 100’s Lawrence, a scrambler and an art-deco effort to celebrate the brand’s centenary.
“We have customers in a dozen countries in Europe, Russia, Australia, Mexico and soon in the United States,” Henriette said.
‘It’s worth the money’
One of them is Patrick Blandinet, a businessman in his 60s based in the French Caribbean region of Guadeloupe, who came over to look at the factory, make his bike and “enter for myself”, he said.
“I asked for a gold leaf logo on the tank,” said Blandinet, calling his modern bike “jewel” and “value for money”.
Access to qualified subcontractors in the Toulouse area, thanks to Airbus production there, is “essential” for Brough, which requires high-value materials including titanium, carbon fiber and specialty steel, Castaigne said. .
“You should be able to put all parts of the bike on board and consider them to be both technically complete and beautiful,” Henriette said.
Brough has also begun a collaboration with James Bond-renowned Aston Martin, whose first motorcycle, called AMB01, will be manufactured by Brough.
Ten units of the future Aston Martin bikes are at collection stage.
(AFP)