BBC local news in 2015 reported that the doors to a barn on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall were opened after the owner had passed away. Revealed inside, buried under decades of dust, old machinery parts and household detritus were eight motorcycles dating from 1926 to 1939 that had been there for over 50 years.
Bonhams described the find as “one of the greatest motorcycle discoveries of recent times” and said the motorcycles were the “last known collection” of unrestored Brough Superiors.
Among the collection was an extradinarily rare four-cylinder Brough Superior Straight Four, also knows as the BS4.
Only ten of these exclusive machines were made. Seven were known to have survived, this was the eighth and one of only three that still had their original engine.
That engine was taken from an Austin 7, bored out for a capacity of 797cc and fitted with an alloy high-compression cylinder head and a more ‘sporty’ camshaft.
At first it was planned to use chain final drive. However, the required intermediate transmission made the machine unacceptably long, so George came up with idea of retaining shaft drive and using twin rear wheels, one either side of a central crown wheel and pinion.
The wheel centres were 7½" apart which, fortunately, meant that as far as the taxation authorities were concerned the machine still qualified as a motorcycle, albeit one much better suited to sidecar duties than solo riding.
When the BS-4 was shown at the 1931 Cycle and Motor Cycle Show at Olympia, journalist Hubert Chantry challenged George Brough that it couldn’t be ridden as a ‘solo’. George retorted that it certainly could and, removing the sidecar, loaned it to Hubert to ride in the London-Exeter Trial. Hubert was so impressed that he immediately order one for himself. That motor cycle was ‘GY 989’, despatched from the Nottingham factory on 20th March 1932.
The original price of a BS4 was £188. On 24th April 2016, ‘GY 989’ sold at auction for £331,900.