Motorcycles

Aston Martin & Brough Superior's turbo motorcycle hits the racetrack

Aston Martin & Brough Superior's turbo motorcycle hits the racetrack
The Aston Martin AMB001, featuring its 180-horsepower turbocharged Brough Superior motor, is out on track testing
The Aston Martin AMB001, featuring its 180-horsepower turbocharged Brough Superior motor, is out on track testing
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Single seat unit: not built for touring comfort
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Single seat unit: not built for touring comfort
Odd spine poking up from the tank cuts the dash in half, and will stop you getting too low on the straights, too
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Odd spine poking up from the tank cuts the dash in half, and will stop you getting too low on the straights, too
Neat custom levers
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Neat custom levers
Under the nosecone, you'll see a supercar-esque splitter, to remind you this is an Aston
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Under the nosecone, you'll see a supercar-esque splitter, to remind you this is an Aston
The turbo dominates the side view of the Brough Superior motor
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The turbo dominates the side view of the Brough Superior motor
The AMB-001 on track testing
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The AMB-001 on track testing
Dynamic testing at the track in Pau-Arnos, France
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Dynamic testing at the track in Pau-Arnos, France
The Aston Martin AMB001, featuring its 180-horsepower turbocharged Brough Superior motor, is out on track testing
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The Aston Martin AMB001, featuring its 180-horsepower turbocharged Brough Superior motor, is out on track testing
View gallery - 8 images

One of the most delightful oddities of the EICMA 2019 motorcycle show in Milan is a step closer to production. The Aston Martin AMB001, built in partnership with a resurrected Brough Superior brand, has begun its dynamic track test program at Pau-Arnos in France.

Doesn't November last year feel like a lifetime ago? What a different world we lived in back then. We're lucky the motorcycle world managed to pile so many weird and wonderful bikes into EICMA 2019, because lord knows when the industry will get another chance to put so many people in one place and show off ideas.

One of the stars of the show was the AMB-001, designed by the creative team at Aston Martin and powered by a turbocharged version of Brough Superior's 997cc V-Twin engine, complete with intercooler, tuned for a meaty 180 horsepower. With a weird finned "spine" running down the middle and single-shock Hossack-style front suspension to go with its weirdly domed nosecone and supercar-style splitter wing, it's certainly a fascinating thing to look at.

The turbo dominates the side view of the Brough Superior motor
The turbo dominates the side view of the Brough Superior motor

Designed for track use only, it's a limited edition with only 100 examples set to be built. Now it's out on track doing its thing in the preliminary stages of testing, and Aston has been kind enough to provide photos and video.

It's not going all that fast, particularly for something focused on the track, and Aston in all its wisdom has chosen a boppy music track and laid it over the audio so we can't hear the engine sound. What's more, the bike is covered in pre-production camouflage. But it definitely has a sporty look to it, even if it's never going to trouble the lap times of a much cheaper production supersport bike.

Once these tests are complete, a tweaked version of the bike will go into production this Fall at Brough Superior's factory in Toulouse, France. Two iconic British brands, manufacturing in France? It sure is a whole new millennium.

Delivery starts at the end of the year. The price? €108,000 (US$121,500). Yikes. Check out the video below.

AMB 001 by Aston Martin and Brough Superior begins Dynamic Testing

Source: Aston Martin

View gallery - 8 images
2 comments
2 comments
svenne
Almost funny. Must be one of the lamest vids ever made for a track focused bike. Looks... different. Would Lawrence of Arabia have liked it?
ClauS
What a lost opportunity, They should have taken a 2 cylinders slice from the Valkyrie's Cosworth engine for a solid190 hp or even more crazy, an inline 3 cylinder section with a ridiculous 290 hp.