Lawrence of Arabia - T.E. Lawrence

The name T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, will live forever, partly due to a cinematic masterpiece. The movie opens with a tragic motorcycling crash.

I’m riding on the very road where Lawrence was killed in 1935. And where a memorial stands to this man who made his name through his exploits in the Middle East during World War 1.

Brough Superior SS100

I must say, the memorial barely befits the man. His accident here only enhanced the mythology and legend of Lawrence of Arabia. And it also immortalised the motorcycle he was riding that day; the SS100 Brough Superior.

This wasn’t just any motorcycle. Built by eccentric inventor George Brough, these were the fastest and most expensive bikes in the world. And each was sold with a certificate guaranteeing that it had been timed at 100mph. But what really made the Brough special was that each one was custom built to its owner’s specifications, ensuring that bike and rider were perfectly matched.

T.E. Lawrence bought a series of Broughs, each one affectionately referred to as George. He kept them at Cloud’s Hill in Dorset home for the last years of his life. Theresa Jenkins-Teague is a curator there.

Andy Kershaw “What so attracted him to Broughs?”

Theresa Jenkins-Teague “His love of speed was something that was vitally important to Lawrence and I think it was a way for Lawrence to find his lifeline, as it were, it was a way of feeling alive.”

This is the only known photograph of Lawrence of Arabia on the Brough Superior SS100 he was riding on that fateful day. It was the 7th one he’d owned and that is why he called it George 7th.

The bike survived and is now owned by a collector. It is very rarely seen but I’ve been given special permission to get up close and personal with it.

Barry Wooding is an expert on the Broughs.

Andy Kershaw “Each one was hand-built wasn’t it?”

Barry Wooding “Yes, this one was actually tailor-made for TE Lawrence. They would have been £170 in the 30s. £170 would have bought you a house, a very, very nice house”

After Lawrence died the nation went into mourning. The man was considered a hero His death, however, coincided with the decline of the Brough Superior. Just ten years later the Brough stopped being produced. It was the end of a legend.

Or, so we thought. But there’s a twist in this story. In 2008, two fans started manufacturing new Broughs, based on the original models but constructed from all new components.

Eric Paterson is a long-standing Brough rider.

Andy Kershaw “Eric, this is beautiful. It’s been recently rebuilt but its a replica of which Brough?”

Eric Paterson “The SS100 which was raced in the 20s and 30s”

Andy Kershaw “So this was the same era as Lawrence of Arabia had his Brough?”

Eric Paterson “Yes, this is a copy of what it would have been like. I’ve broke the records four times with it. The best we’ve had out of it is 127mph.”

Andy Kershaw “Well, I’m certainly not going to be breaking any records today. It’s a rigid frame, no shock-absorbers, it’s astonishingly uncomfortable, it’s wonderful.”

For me, Brough motorcycles, past and present, embody the same qualities Lawrence had; charismatic, daring, a little bit reckless and British to the core.