Is BOB Brough still around? (update: BOB back in the UK !)

I often smile when I read misinformation quoted from the web.

The Railton Owners Club records show 16 eight cylinder Brough Superior's registered new in the UK, which probably means a few more which have not been accounted for.

Whilst their records do note that Peter Brough was the first owner of "BOB" this is extremely unlikely as Peter Brough was born in 1916, which would make him 19 or 20 when the car was new, and it wasn't until after the second world war that his entertainment career took off.

Part of the Joke of "Educating Archie" was the fact Peter Brough wasn't the world's best vent.

The programme ran for 10 years and had the cream of British Light Entertainment in its cast, for instance it was the programme where Julie Andrews made her singing debut

Just to bring everyone up to date:
BOB 852 returned to the UK a few years ago and has been fully restored. Unfortunately it has lost its registration, now being USL 689 - the very car featured in The Automobile, April 2006.
COB 838 is another eight, first registered in June 1936.
BYL 131, as shown in the you tube clip is also an eight, first registered on 20th. June 1935. It was restored in the late 1970's before being lent to the Wollaton Park Museum. It remained on display there until 2007 when I purchased 'Billy' and returned her to the road. I have since covered 4000 miles in her, which included a family holiday to South West France.
Coincidentally, all three 'eights' are now owned by Brough Superior Club members and were present at the Club's Hampshire rally held a couple of months ago. The cars are very smooth and stylish touring machines.

BOB582 survives, and is known to the Railton Owners Club. It was first registered 9 July 1935 and carries a drophead coupe body by Atcherly. Notation in the club register says "Owned when new by the ventriloquist Peter Brough, creator of Archie Andrews." When last seen it was restored and living in Pennsylvania.

Just a quick note to editor. Although the registration number on the example Allan has put forward is COB838 does not mean it isn't the same car. Here in England it is perfectly legal to transfer the number plate to a modern car. If your name is Bob and you want your modern car to have a reg number with Bob in it then you just have to buy it from the owner of the vintage car with it on. My 1939 Morris 10 had FLY 814 on it when I bought it. It now has GAS 329. The FLY 814 plate is on my Range Rover. So its not possible to identify a car over here by the registration number alone. My Wolseley 6/90 is on its 5th number plate since it was new. Registration numers can sell for huge amounts of money over here. I hope this helps a little. Toby

editor; thnx Toby, of course you are right, but it would help if it still had the sane plate... JB

If you read Wiki carefully you will note that out of some 85 cars 4 were 8 cylinder Hudson engined, 80 were 6 cylinder Hudson engined and 1 was a Lincoln-Zephyr V12 engine. The change-over happened sometime during 1936, so that 1935 and EARLY 1936 cars are 8 cylinder, and LATE 1936 to 1939 cars are all 6 cylinder (V12 is definitely 1939). All the OA-ON registrations are Birmingham, YL is London.
Have a look at U-tube at a fascinating car. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-6XtLLZlrU

Stuart

There was an extract from one of the radio programmes on BBC Radio 7 only yesterday, (Sun 7th Nov). Peter Brough was the world's second worst vent after Sandy Powell, asked if you could see his lips move someone (Ken Dodd?) answered "only when the dummy is talking".

The BBC pinched the idea of a radio vent off the Americans, who had Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy before WW2, so it wasn't even original. What it did do was tokick start careers for various artists, who appeared as Archie's live-in tutor, or as his pals.

Hi,
I suggest you look at page 32 of "The Automobile" from April 2006. There is quite a lot of information there about Brough automobiles.
Cheers,

George Brough made approximately 85 cars named Brough Superior. Built between 1935 and 1939, they were powered by Hudson engines and had Hudson chassis. Three models were made, but only two reached production. Early cars did not carry Brough Superior badges as Brough thought the cars sufficiently distinctive in themselves.

The first car was the 4 litre made from 1935 to 1936 using a 114 bhp (85 kW), 4168 cc side valve, straight-8 engine. Performance was remarkable for the time with a top speed of 90 mph (140 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 10 seconds. The drop head coachwork was by Atcherley of Birmingham.

Hudson stopped supplying the 8-cylinder engine in 1936, and subsequent cars had a 107 bhp (80 kW), 3455 cc straight-6, still with side valves and called the 3.5 litre. A Centric supercharged version was also listed with a claimed output of 140 bhp (100 kW). The chassis was 4 inches (100 mm) shorter than the 4 litre at 116 inches. Saloon bodies were available but most were open cars. Approximately 80 were made between 1936 and 1939.

The final car, the XII made in 1938, used a Lincoln-Zephyr V12 engine of 4387 cc and Brough's own design of chassis with Girling brakes and Ford axles. Only one was made with a saloon body built by Charlesworth. A large car with an overall length of 219 inches (5,600 mm) and width of 71 inches (1,800 mm), it still survives.

Wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brough_Superior

Stuart

One Brough in this web site
http://www.ccoty.co.uk/classic_car_voting.php?cat=0
http://www.ccoty.co.uk/images/dyn/203771517-01.jpg
Has the same light on the top right of tghe screen, so may be the same car

editor: however, your car has registration COB838, sos it looks the same, but isn't.

I had an Archie Andrews "Talking doll" as a Christmas or Birthday present when I was young child, (must have been about 1954).
At about this time on the Radio, on Sunday afternoon, was the Archie Andrews show !
I would listen to Archie getting into all sorts of scrapes, with Peter, an unwilling participant.
Is there a CON there somewhere, a Ventriloquist on RADIO ? ? ?

Stuart