Property of a deceased's estate, 1951 Vincent 998cc Series-C Rapide

Registration no. NRL 565 Frame no. RC6558 (see text) Rear frame no. over-painted Engine no. F10AB/1/4658 Crankcase mating no's. HH89

• Present ownership since 1973
• An older restoration
• Requires re-commissioning

The outbreak of WW2 in 1939 brought production of all Series-A models to a halt, and when Vincent resumed production at the war's end it was with the all-new Series-B. Its rear suspension aside, the Series-A Vincent-HRD had been conventional enough: tubular steel frame, girder forks, separate gearbox, etc but with the Series B Messrs Vincent and Irving effectively established the marque's reputation for the defiance of convention in the pursuit of engineering excellence. For a start there was no 'frame' as such, merely a fabricated box attached to the cylinder heads that served as the oil tank and incorporated the headstock and attachment point for the rear springs. The gearbox was integral with the engine, and the swinging arm pivoted directly in the engine/gearbox casings, features commonplace today but unusual 60 years ago. Only in his retention of the pre-war Brampton girder fork did Phillip Vincent appear to be lagging behind other manufacturers, almost all of which had switched to telescopics, but this apparent shortcoming would soon be addressed by the introduction of the famous 'Girdraulic' fork. Introduced in 1946, the Vincent-HRD Series-B Rapide was immediately the fastest production motorcycle on sale

In 1948 the Vincent range began to be up-dated from Series-B to Series-C specification. The most significant changes made concerned the suspension, there being a revised arrangement at the rear incorporating curved lugs for the seat stays and an hydraulic damper between the spring boxes, while at the front the new models boasted Vincent's own 'Girdraulic' fork: a blade-type girder fitted with twin hydraulic dampers. These advances began to find their way onto production models during 1948 but it would be 1950 before all Vincents left the factory in Series-C specification.

This Series-C Rapide has belonged to the late owner since 1973, as evidenced by the old-style continuation logbook on file issued in 1960. An older restoration, the machine displays a total of 3,416 miles on the odometer and is offered for re-commissioning. It should be noted that the upper frame has been stamped with a non-factory font and is assumed to be a replacement. The crankcase mating numbers are correct. Additional documentation consists of old V5/V5C documents.