T. E. Lawrence
1932 Brough Superior SS100 · George VII · GW 2275
Photo details
Downloaded the 3,672 × 2,524 Commons original, stripped metadata, obscured the readable historic registration with deterministic localized blur, and recompressed at JPEG quality 90. No crop, generated content or vehicle reconstruction.
Photo details
Joyride serves the current 3,350 × 5,120 Commons JPEG byte-for-byte. No Joyride crop, resize, retouching, metadata removal or generation; a responsive frame may crop displayed edges. The portrait is separate from the 2011 motorcycle photograph.
The last George was not the motorcycle in the movie
- Connection
- Former owner and rider
- When
- Final Lawrence machine · ridden through May 13, 1935
- Identity
- Individual 1932 Brough Superior SS100 · George VII · historic registration GW 2275 · photographed on loan at the Imperial War Museum in 2011
Brough Superior’s current marque history says T. E. Lawrence owned seven of its motorcycles and called his final machine George VII. The National Motorcycle Museum identifies that last bike as GW 2275, acquired when Lawrence traded in his earlier George VI. Joyride records former ownership and riding, not a claim about the motorcycle’s present owner.
The individual-machine distinction matters because the 1962 film used the wrong Brough. The museum says George VI, the SS100 with historic registration UL 656, appeared on screen as the fatal motorcycle. The actual machine involved in Lawrence’s May 13, 1935 crash was the later GW 2275 shown here. The delivered photograph’s readable historic registration is obscured, while the identifier remains in the evidence trail so the two motorcycles cannot be conflated.
Tony Hisgett photographed the restored GW 2275 on loan at the Imperial War Museum in London on October 18, 2011. Commons licenses that exact-car image CC BY 2.0 and places it in a category dedicated to GW 2275. The dated display proves neither current custody nor the completeness of the restoration, and no exact Joyride motorcycle profile or compatible driving entry is claimed.
Where the car went next
- 1929–1932George VI comes first
Lawrence rode the penultimate SS100, UL 656, before trading it for the later GW 2275.
- Before May 1935George VII enters the story
The later SS100 became Lawrence’s final Brough Superior and is identified by the historic registration GW 2275.
- May 13, 1935The final ride
Lawrence was fatally injured after crashing GW 2275 near his Dorset home; Joyride does not dramatize the accident or infer later ownership from it.
- October 18, 2011The surviving motorcycle in London
Tony Hisgett photographed the restored individual machine on loan at the Imperial War Museum. That dated loan is not presented as current custody.
Sources for this story
Brough Superior’s marque history establishes Lawrence’s seven-machine relationship and final George VII; the National Motorcycle Museum separates George VI / UL 656 from the fatal GW 2275 machine. Commons identifies Tony Hisgett’s 2011 CC BY photograph as Lawrence’s last SS100 and categorizes it specifically as GW 2275. No present owner, current custody, complete restoration history, untouched specification, complete SS100-family coverage, exact Joyride catalog match or compatible game representation is claimed.
- Brough Superior HeritageBrough Superior · Current marque history · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
Lawrence’s ownership of seven Brough Superiors, his George naming sequence and the final George VII’s place in his life.
- Authentic Lawrence of Arabia Brough to go on display at Somerset Bike ShowNational Motorcycle Museum · January 17, 2017 · external source
The exact distinction between George VI / UL 656 and the later GW 2275, Lawrence’s trade, ownership and the fatal-machine identity; also the film’s substitution of the earlier motorcycle.
- LondonT. E. Lawrence Society · Current visitor guide · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
The 1932 model-year identification for Lawrence’s final SS100 and the caution that the motorcycle is no longer displayed at the Imperial War Museum.
- Brough Superior (6264431187).jpgWikimedia Commons · Photographed October 18, 2011 · reviewed 2026-10-07 · external source
Tony Hisgett’s CC BY 2.0 photograph of Lawrence’s last Brough Superior SS100 and its exact-car category for GW 2275 at the Imperial War Museum.
Reviewed
Why this is the actual car
- Photo identity evidence
Tony Hisgett identifies the October 18, 2011 photograph as T. E. Lawrence’s last Brough Superior SS100; Commons categorizes it specifically as GW 2275 and verifies CC BY 2.0.
- Photo identity evidence
The National Motorcycle Museum independently distinguishes the later fatal motorcycle GW 2275 from George VI / UL 656, which the film substituted.
The matching photographer, venue, date and vehicle history establish the identification; the chassis stamp is not visible in these photographs.