WWII Ruins Brough's Golden Dream - The machine - stately, ambitious, and indeed, golden - was announced to the world at the Earl’s Court show in 1938. And it certainly captured the public’s attention. (Brough Superior Golden Dream)
The four-cylinder, shaft-driven motorcycle was displayed on a pedestal with its carefully-engineered parts arranged at its feet. It had chain-driven cam shafts, drum brakes, and even a fully-stocked toolbox built into the tank. But the Golden Dream never went into production due to the fact the Second World War was looming and, like many British manufacturers, Brough Superior turned its hands to making armaments for the war effort. Ironically, the Golden Dream’s future was cut short by what became a cataclysmic, global nightmare. And now it stands, gleaming, in the National Motorcycle, amidst a family of Broughs and Brough Superiors.
These bikes, all made in Nottingham, became known as the ‘Rolls Royce of motorcycles, with price tags to match. The Golden Dream cost £185 in 1938, a bike with the famous ‘golden’ paint job would set you back £195. But it’s not the pearlescent paint job that makes this particular machine in the National Motorcycle Museum so special.
