This magnificent 1931 Brough Superior SS100 motorcycle, registration GW 3188, fetched an astonishing £281,750 (inc. premium) at Bonhams yesterday, perhaps boosted by being a very close match to T.E. Lawrence's seventh and final Brough, registration GW 2275, and known as George VII.
Interestingly, the frame number of the bike sold yesterday, 1042.S, is just a single digit away from George VII, which has the frame number 1041.S, though George VII was actually manufactured a year later in 1932.
In most matters the bikes are nearly identical, except that George VII has a 19" rear wheel, as opposed to the usual 21", which T.E. had fitted to the machine to compensate for his shorter stature. The two bikes also have slightly different gear change levers.
Only 9 SS100s were produced in 1931 and 11 in 1932, making both GW 3188 and GW 2275 extremely rare machines.
