S-22720-0-1

George Brough’s motorcycles have been extensively researched andwritten up over many years. The “Overhead” 680 was the company’sbest seller through the tough trading years of the late 20s and early30s. It was introduced in 1926 and sold well initially, but the earlyengines weren’t as robust as those on the larger machines. JAPresponded with a redesigned engine, but by the end of the decadeGeorge Brough felt the need to launch a de luxe version, and the BlackAlpine 680 was announced in November 1929.The MotorCycle reported “Brough Superior enthusiasts will no doubtbe very surprised to learn that this famous make will dispense withthe well known plated tank on one entirely new model known as theBlack Alpine 680”. This seems to have been a sort of “less is more”marketing move which worked. There were other eye-catchingfeatures such as twin headlamps and the linked silencers. Titch Allenspeculated that the money saved on the tank might have covered theextra cost of the four speed gearbox specified for the new model.The history of this wonderfully patinated Black Alpine is known fromnew. It was supplied in August 1930 by Laytons of Oxford to one D.R. Venables. Two 1930 photos show it parked on the Iffley Road inOxford close to the owner’s home. The following summer Mr. Venablesrode the bike on an extended continental tour accompanied by hisfriend Dennis Welch who used his Morgan three wheeler for the trip.They visited Switzerland and the south of France. Two photos of theBrough and the Morgan on this trip are included in the sale, as is theBrough’s 1931 “International Certificate for Motor Vehicles” – effectivelya passport for the machine, which was a requirement if you wentcontinental touring at that time. In late 1931 the Black Alpine was soldto Chris Arthurs, a skilled carpenter who lived in Reading. He was tokeep the Brough for the next forty years. He fitted a sidecar and theBlack Alpine was used for work and family holidays. It was he whofitted the very distinctive discs to the wheels. His shop-fitting activitiesyielded the materials for a number of modifications he made in thecourse of his ownership. The wooden seat base and its upholsterycame from seats in the Palace Theatre, Reading. He also fitted thewooden number plates which are still there today, and modified thehandlebars to suit the sidecar. During the later war years he rode theoutfit far and wide repairing Mosquito aircraft.motorcycles | 73