Every now and then, an old motorcycle comes along that makes even the most hardened enthusiast stop mid-tea, raise an eyebrow, and mutter “Blimey.” This is one of those bikes, and yes, it’s a Brough Superior, which in itself makes it a pretty special machine.
This Brough Superior SS100 is a works machine built to racing specification. It left the factory in April 1926, and is loaded with bespoke competition parts. It was campaigned at a time when petrol was cheap and bravery plentiful. And to top it all off, it’s the only Brough Superior ever finished in mauve. Yes, mauve. Purple, if you’re feeling blunt. A colour choice so bold it probably caused raised eyebrows even in Nottingham in the Roaring Twenties.
A quick word on the SS100 (because context matters)
The Brough Superior SS100 was the sporting motorcycle of the golden age. Built between 1924 and 1938, it was the machine that earned Brough the immortal nickname “The Rolls-Royce of Motorcycles” – a title bestowed by The Motor Cycle magazine, not by George Brough himself (though he certainly didn’t argue).
George Brough famously guaranteed that every SS100 would do at least 100mph. Not “with a following wind” 100mph – this was a proper, genuinely fast machine that could burst through the ton bubble.
Brough proved it too. The marque claimed World Land Speed Records in 1924 (118.99mph) and again in 1929 (129mph), both ridden by works rider and engineering wizard Bert le Vack on machines powered by the mighty J.A.P. V-twin.
Only 281 SS100s were built with J.A.P. engines, and fewer than 10% left the factory in full SS100 Racing specification. That already puts this bike in unicorn territory before we even get to its history.
Enter Jack Cunliffe (and a family obsessed with speed)
This particular SS100 was built for J. O. “Jack” Cunliffe, a man with petrol in his veins and sand between his teeth. Born in 1902, Jack grew up in a family where speed was a way of life.
His sister May was every bit his equal – if not more terrifying – racing Bentley Blowers, Bugattis and even a factory Sunbeam GP car. She famously took the Women’s Record at Shelsley Walsh in 1928, beating works Sunbeam driver Segrave. Casual stuff.
Jack, meanwhile, focused on motorcycles. And when you’re serious about going fast in the 1920s, there was only one answer.
So in June 1926, Jack collected frame number 857 from the Brough Superior works via Percy Platt of Oldham. The Works Record is crystal clear:
SS100 Racing – Mauve finish
Registered TO 3461, this bike was delivered with an intimidating list of competition modifications: no kickstart, narrow guards, footrests mounted astern and dropped bars (to promote that racing stance!), , coupled brakes with special toe brake on the left hand side, and George Dance knee grips. The list goes on. In short – nothing you didn’t need, everything you did.
There is also the elephant in the room to mention, with a later addition – those incredible oversized twin Brooklands exhausts!
Sand, speed, silverware (and the Ulster GP)
Cunliffe didn’t hang about. From 1926 onwards, this SS100 was hammered at Southport Sands, Saltburn, Stalybridge and beyond. Solo, sidecar, standing starts, flying miles – if there was a class, Jack entered it.
Highlights? Plenty.
- A multitude of pre-war competitive events (notably Southport Sands) with the vast majority being podium finishes
- Listed by Brough Superior themselves in the 1927 factory catalogue with “J. O. Cunliffe – 8 Firsts”
- 1926 Ulster Grand Prix entrant, finishing 4th in class
This bike wasn’t just raced; it was used. Jack retained it from new until 1967, and continued competing well into the post-war years. By any measure, it may have the longest continuous competition history of any Brough Superior.
Life after Cunliffe (and why £70 once bought a legend)
After Jack’s death in 1967, the SS100 passed through a handful of extremely knowledgeable hands. Sydney Plevin bought it for the princely sum of £70 (yes, really), before it moved on to Dave Shotton, Julian Ghosh, and later John Roberts, who successfully reclaimed the original registration TO 3461.
In 1984, the current owner acquired the bike with guidance from Brooklands expert Dr Joseph Bayley. Restored back to its exact 1926 Cunliffe specification, it returned to competition in the late 1980s – now running on methanol – and promptly reminded everyone what an SS100 Racing really feels like.
Ridden by Dick LeHeup, it gained its enduring nickname (which quite frankly, suits it):
“The Purple Bastard.”
A life still being lived
Since then, the bike has enjoyed a second golden age: Brooklands reunions, Bruntingthorpe, Brands Hatch, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Salon Privé, Kop Hill, Stafford, and Brough Club rallies galore. It even scooped Best Racing Machine at Stafford in 1996 and starred in the SS100 centenary celebrations in 2025.
Not bad for a machine that first tasted sand nearly 100 years ago.
Why this one matters
This isn’t just a rare Brough Superior. It’s a fully documented Works Racing SS100, raced hard, owned long-term by its original rider, finished in a one-off colour, and still very much alive.
Plenty of bikes survive. Fewer have stories. Almost none have this much history written into their metal.
And mauve? Well… when you’ve got this much pedigree, you can wear whatever colour you like!
If interested, this fantastically unique Brough is up for sale with Dylan Miles. Watch a start up here at the 2025 Kop Hill Climb.
an article by The Girder Club
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