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Feature

41 The ROAD The ROAD 40

There’s probably no other bike in historyso connected to one man’s personalityand one unfortunate event. Negativethough that last ride was for Lawrence itadded an increment of mystery to anenduring legend who had a passion forthe machine that was known as the RollsRoyce of motorcycles.

Rather like the word ‘Great’ in GB,adopting the word ‘Superior’ for the bike’sname says something about themanufacturer’s perception of thismotorcycling icon that is almost Arthurianin its legendary status.

Well the legend is back. The mummyhas been liberated from its sarcophagusand is rolling free on the roads of ourisland nation once again.

Who is it then who has breached thepyramid of peril to breathe life back intothis quintessentially English creation ofelite engineering? Step forward MarkUpham, baron of the classic motorcycleparts trade, former bike dealer andentrepreneur extraordinaire.

Mark has some pretty impressivepedigree. His father served in the UnionCastle shipping line, rising to the rank ofcaptain before which he saw service in aWW2 Russian convoy and was aboardthe first ship into Malta when the Germansiege of the island was broken. I’mguessing he was a popular arrival and,given the legendary looks of Maltese girls,a spectacular opportunity that politicalcorrectness discourages me from dwellingon at length. He also saw the Germancruiser Graf Spee under the water when

he was collecting meat from Argentina.Sticking with Mark’s father for a moment,

by good chance he took manyphotographs of the Falkland Islands justsix weeks before the Argentine invasion.This provided up to date information thatwas critical to our military and may wellhave abbreviated the conflict that endedwith the Union Flag flying once more inthe South Atlantic. Another case of righttime right place. His father’s cousin wasCharles Hazlette Upham VC and Bar oneof three VC’s and bar and the only one tolive; retiring to his farm in New Zealand.Mark’s mother’s father was in REMEBomb disposal, latterly at Donington Parkand received the George medal twice andreceived one of the First George Crosses,but did not survive the war.

To return to the Brough – Mark has along-standing fascination with the marque,having made a very good living from thevintage motorcycle parts business, a tradein which he is the biggest supplier to theEuropean market. Besides his vintageinvolvement, Mark has run a motorcycleretail business from Wellington inSomerset. At one time he was the topTriumph dealer in the UK and at anotherworked for the auctioneers Phillips that ispart of the Bonhams company, famous inmotorcycle circles for the extraordinaryprices knocked down by their gavels inthe classic bike world.

While quintessentially English (educatedat acclaimed independent Ditcham ParkSchool in Hampshire), Mark lives nearSalzburg in Austria.

Here he shares his home with a dognamed Benjamin Brough, his Austrianwife, and a 13 year old daughter who hasalready taken to riding motorcycles.

Mark describes his riding achievementsas few though in 2016 he crashed a 1924Bert LeVac replica at Punks Peak in theBasque Pyrenees. He showed me a clipof the drama on his phone. This was noflash in the pan minor flicker of flame buta full bodied ‘stand well back’ fireball ofpromethean execss. The unplanned stuntearned him the nickname locally ‘Hombrede Fuego’ (Man of fire or BurningMan).The time of this was 12.30, exactlythe same moment as George Cohen(psychiatrist turned motorbike builder) wasbeing lowered into the ground.

Mark is a mustard keen biker whostarted repairing British motorcycles at theage of 15. He bought his first BroughSuperior project aged 20, the experience

confirming an innate appetite for classicengineering that has determined thecourse of his colourful life so far.

He’s also raced a Vincent and side carat the Salzburgring, a contest in which hestarted last but finished first.

Mark now frequently rides with hisdaughter Viktoria, the heiress to hisempire. A recent joint adventure for fatherand daughter was the ‘Great Mile’

(A 1200 mile, four day motorcycle rallyfrom the northern tip of Scotland to thesouthern tip of Cornwall; for custom,classic and cafe racer motorcycles.) Itwas a challenge from which they had toretire due to Viktoria’s broken back.Having sustained the injury a monthbefore the ride, her supporting back braceand corset sadly proved inadequate tocope with the speed and rigid end of the1927 SS100. Anyone who has ever riddena hard tail will cut Viktoria a little slack Ifeel and as a one time hard tail chopjockey I can feel the pain.

Mark’s business ventures dictate agreat deal of travelling which I sense herelishes, his imagination tickled by thereality that in a single day he can havebreakfast in Salzburg, lunch in Londonand dinner in Toulouse; Toulouse beinghome to the Brough factory.

While Mark intends to bring productionto the UK eventually, the Toulouse

A bit ofBroughThe bike immortalised by Lawrence of Arabiahas returned to production. Ian Mutch talked tothe marque’s fourth owner, recently returnedMAG member Mark Upham

Lawrence was an enigmaticEnglishman who organised anArab revolt to overthrow centuriesof Turkish rule in the Middle East.Lawrence, whose exploits turnedhim into a reluctant national herowas a great advocate of theBrough Superior. Approximately3048 motorcycles (19 models)were made in the 21 years ofproduction; around a third of thatproduction still exists. Lawrenceowned eight of these motorcyclesand died from injuries sustainedwhen he crashed number seven,the eighth was on order. GeorgeBernard Shaw was another amongmany celebrities who wereenthusiastic about Broughmotorcycles.

Every motorcycle was test riddento ensure that it performed tospecification, and was personallycertified by George Brough. TheSS100 model was ridden at 100mph or more before delivery. TheSS80 model was ridden at 80 mphor more before delivery. If anymotorcycle did not meetspecification, it was returned to theworks for rework until it performedproperly. The fit and finish wascomparable to a Rolls-Royce car,and they were the most expensiveroad-going motorcycles in theworld. No great change there then.

Go on then find something less than perfect;you’ll struggle with that one

Mark behind the record-breaking Brough 1,100cc SS. The figure on the backdrop is Sam Lovegrove from Henry Cole’s TV show Shed and Buried.

‘Mark describeshim as like VanGogh with both

ears cut off.’

43 The ROAD The ROAD 42

Feature

We say “welcome back” to The Brough Superior, the Rolls Royce of motorcycling

connection reflects the French government’s €4m investment inhis company. It was a business opportunity that our governmentturned down, though David Cameron personally invited Mark toNo10 to talk over the project. Despite the PM’s enthusiasm, theopportunity for GB PLC to capitalise on its heritage fell foul ofgovernment accountants driven more by caution thanimagination – c’est la vie.

Mark is the fourth owner of the Brough company, havingbought it in 2008, his purchase essentially amounting to therights to use the name and a mountain of paperwork.

Backpedalling slightly – it was 2007 when Mark found that theBrough Superior name was for sale in the USA at Jared Zaugg’sLegend of the Motorcycles, an American marketing entity.

It took 11 months to purchase and a further two years toestablish sufficient intellectual property to proceed with his dreamand then things moved very fast.

Mark spoke to veteran journalist and author Alan Cathcart, tohelp him find a partner to bring his dreams to life.

On July 4 2013, hands were shaken and at the end of JulyMark arrived with a petrol tank, a speedo, a pair of wheels andthen a complete motorcycle, his Pendine.

By November the new company was at the Milan show withthe first prototype.

By 2014 the first running motorcycle was born and 2016 sawthe first deliveries of the new Brough Superior to customers.

Mark has gathered some impressive players in themotorcycle market around him to propel a dream into a rollingreality and a viable business. It was in 2013 that Mark metmotorcycle designer and constructor Thierry Henriette a fellowBrough devotee who has been designing bikes since 1984. Markdescribes him and his team, led by Albert Castaigne to whomMark is especially grateful for driving the project, as ‘the brainsbehind the new Brough Superior’, likening Henriette to ‘VanGogh with both ears cut off.’ Eared or not, with Henri and Alberton board the new company began to take shape.

Mark’s plan was to build a modern motorcycle in terms ofquality, reliability and refinement, while staying faithful to theclassic aesthetics of the George Brough originals. Havingoutlined his aspirations to Henri, as he calls him, the Frenchmangot to work and produced a detailed technical image that hit thespot with a sniper’s accuracy. As soon as Mark saw Henri’s planhe applauded the designer’s brilliance in interpreting his dreamto a tee. “That’s it!” said Mark, “that is the bike we shall build.”And build it they did.

Mark tells me: “We have people working for Brough SuperiorMotorcycles who are as good as anyone in the game.”

One of the elite team was there at the Motorcycle Live Showwhere I met Mark. Mike Russell de Clifford is a motorcycledesign engineer with the kind of pedigree and track record thatMark identified as critical to his mission. Mike is the brainsbehind Moto Corsa, the importer of Brough Superior in the UK.

“In his own right he’s a wizard, a technician, a professor,” Marktells me.

British-born Mike has worked on a variety of marques with aspecial emphasis on the stable of Moto Guzzi that owes him alot for the refinement or development of every model that has leftthe Mandello del Lario factory over the last 30 years. He was amajor player in the development of the MV Augusta and theDucati 916.

Besides development, Mike has a passion for restoration andis known for buying wrecks that inspire critical incredulity fromfriends; the scorn turning to admiration when he returns them totheir original condition.

Mark credits Mike with a lot. “He’s redesigned everythingfrom the prototype; the engine, the clutch, the run of the chain,the alternator, you name it,” says Mark. The project is constantly

evolving, with current efforts addressing the design of the cams,ABS, a turbo option and a phone-activated ignition.

There is something rather intimate about a concept thatconjures images of Roy Rogers’ horse Trigger who responded toa whistle from his owner and whose life overlapped with theearlier incarnation of the Brough.

Mike runs through a catalogue of technical language thatleaves me slightly punch drunk. My notes tell me that thesuspension choices involved Ohlins and Paoli.

Building a new bike for today’s market is a monumentalmission of challenges both technical and legal, with everythingneeding to be type approved to meet pan European regulations.Just as with the original Broughs, many companies are involvedin the production, that distinctive long flat tank for example beingconstructed by aircraft manufacturer Airbus, who have usedCNC machining to produce a unique appearance. If a singleelement of the bike provides the umbilical cord to the past that Isense Mark felt to be essential, then it is this fuel tank.

Astute observers will notice there is no frame downtube. Theengine is a stressed member to which everything at the front ofthe bike is bolted. This of course helps minimise weight and iskind of smart.

To meet a bike like this, close up, feels like a privilege.Virtually all motorcycles produced today are built to a price inpursuit of commercial viability – the Brough by contrast is just sonot. Those of an engineering bent will drool over the detail. I’mnot an engineer but I had to dab persistently at the corner of mymouth with a wad of tissues I’d fortuitously trousered thatmorning. As one whose motorcycling roots lie in the realm ofimpecunious bodging it is wonderful to see such meticulousattention to detail in pursuit of excellence.

I can’t avoid the phrase ‘steam punk’ rising to my keyboard asit just so is. The Brough hides nothing but makes exhibits ofevery element of its propulsion in a marriage of form withfunction that has no rival in contemporary engineering. I spentseveral minutes just staring at the right hand engine coverwhose polished finish contrasts so exquisitely with the deepblack of the crank case; very much the pearl necklace on apanther and conveying that same sublime sense of menacingsuperiority. The Brough really is the antithesis of the streamlinedsports bikes with fairings sheathed in sponsor stickers. This bikeis a celebration of elite engineering from its Titanium 7 frame tothe exquisitely machined double headlamp shell.

Mark describes the performance as “calm but impressive. Itcan be ridden as a normal motorcycle or at 130 mph. It is notheavy at under 200kg and has a wheel base that is about thesame as the original Brough Superior’s.”

The front forks are a special design, pre BMW, pre Hosac,they are Fior developed in Toulouse.

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45 The ROAD The ROAD 44

Who is buying Brough Superiors, Iasked?

“Many are self made men who startedwith nothing and love motorcycles. Onestarted his working life filling shelves,others are farmers, riders from all walks ofthe motorcycling world. We’ve had somejoint purchases where two men havebought one bike between them. I’ve hadcustomers who have sold five bikes tobuy one Brough. What they all have incommon is that they really are all genuinelovers of motorcycles. Oh and I must notforget the two Welsh brothers,stonemasons and builders, who boughtone each.”

The Brough is very much a bespokeproject with the cost of a machine risingway above the £58K base pricedepending on owner specification. Whatcustomers are clearly paying for, beyondthe mystique of owning perhaps theworld’s most exclusive motorcycle, is theprivilege of being able to indulge theirpersonal style or self indulgent aspirationsin an icon that will be tailor made to theirevery whim, like a Saville Row suit or apersonally balanced Purdey shotgun.

Mark emphasises that there is a strongcustomer-led element to the developmentof the 21st century Brough, the refinement

of individual bikes emerging from acoalition of consciousness betweenfactory and client.

Mark has now founded a new companyin England, for 2018. Brough Superior GBLtd. GB? George Brough? Great Britain?With the celebrated brand-building guruGary Burnand at the helm as MD, BS GBLtd, will have entered the fashion world atPitti in Florence by the ime this ispublished. It will have beencomplemented by such sympatheticproducts as helmets by Davida withaccompanying style coded luggage that isin the pipeline as I write this.

There’s something about the emergenceof this elite machine which resonates witha broader cultural trend in motorcyclingthat has seen the arrival of suchphenomena as the Bike Shed and theDistinguished Gentleman’s Ride. In anutshell it is the gentrification ofmotorcycling. Inevitably there will be somewho will resent this evolution just aspeople resented the establishment ofHOG and wrongly predicted itstransience.

I love the evolution because I love thediversity of motorcycling and the growingimpossibility of pigeonholing bikers by aset of preconceived criteria.

I am reminded of a Springsteen line –“whatever dies some day comes backagain.” There is something sofundamentally reassuring about that. TheROAD salutes Mark Upham and his teamof engineering artists, we salute theFrench government for their faith in aBritish icon and we say “welcome back” toThe Brough Superior, The Rolls Royce ofmotorcycling.

T E Lawrence would approve.

‘This bike is a celebration ofelite engineering from itsTitanium 7 frame to the

exquisitely machined doubleheadlamp shell’