A pairing that’s a little like fantasy
Aston Martin’s first supercycle built with Brough Superior is up and running
Well, the first test of one of the weirdest associations in motorsports has just been completed.
We can’t tell you how fast it goes or what kind of lean angles it can generate, but we can now be certain that the AMB 001 — that unlikely twowheeled amalgam of Aston Martin and Brough Superior — really does run.
The reason I sound a little incredulous is the whole thing smacks a little of fantasy. For one thing, while Brough Superior is one of the most storied names in motorcycling — T.E Lawrence, a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia, owned no fewer than seven SS100s — and was known in its heyday as the Rolls-Royce of motorcycles, the original manufacturer went bust in 1940, George Brough’s no-expense-spared approach to two-wheelers out of step with the economic realities of the day.
Fast forward to 2013 and the storied marque was resurrected by Mark Upham and Thierry Henriette (formerly of Boxer motorcycles).
In standard form, a modern Brough Superior features a V-twin (with a somewhat odd 88-degree angle between cylinders), double overhead cams, and 120 horsepower. In Aston Martin form, however, it gains a turbocharger and 60 more horses.
The framework remains pretty much standard Brough, which is to say a chassis constructed of carbon fibre and titanium all kept on the straight and narrow by a car-like Fiortype front suspension.
The bodywork, however, looks to be pure Aston Martin with just a soupçon of Gaydon’s swoopy Valkyrie supercar thrown in for familial recognition.
And now it’s running. Oh, if you watch the video on YouTube closely, you’ll notice the tester is babying the prototype, his knee nowhere near touching tarmac even at the apex of corners. And it’s still “camouflaged” — odd, since the final design has already been released.
But it is alive and running. So, all you bucks-up bikers with 108,000 euros (about Cdn$164,000) burning a hole in your leathers had better step up soon, because Aston is only building 100 of them.
The first AMB 001s will be ready for customers by the end of 2020.