1954 Vincent 998cc Series-C Black Shadow

Registration no. UJO 680 Frame no. RC12099B Rear frame no. R2145 Engine no. F10AB/1B/10199 Crankcase mating no. C63V/C63V

• Matching Upper Frame Member and engine
• Single family ownership for the last 29 years
• Engine rebuilt by Conway Motors in 2004
• Last run in March 2022

Ever since the Series A's arrival in 1937, the Vincent v-twin has been synonymous with design innovation, engineering excellence and superlative high performance. From Rollie Free's capture of the 'world's fastest production motorcycle' record in 1948 on a tuned Series-B Black Shadow to the final fully enclosed Black Knight and Black Prince, Philip Vincent's stress on appearance and performance is legendary. His machines bristled with innovative features, offering adjustment of brake pedal, footrests, seat height and gear-change lever. The finish was to a very high standard commensurate with the cost of the machine, which was virtually double that of any of its contemporaries.

But above all else it was the v-twin's stupendous performance that captivated motorcyclists, whether they could afford one or not. The appeal of the Vincent, and the Black Shadow in particular, lay in its ability to out-perform just about every other vehicle on the road, and in the early post-war years there was nothing to compare with it. This was a time when the average family sedan was barely capable of reaching 70mph, and not until the advent of Jaguar's XK120 was there a production sports car that could live with the thundering v-twins from Stevenage. With a top speed approaching 120mph and bettering it in the Black Shadow's case, the Vincent v-twin was quite simply the fastest road vehicle of its day.

This Vincent Black Shadow was part of the estate of the vendor's late father, who had purchased it in 1993 (receipt on file). The Shadow was his pride and joy for more than 30 years and during most of that time he was an active member of the Vincent Owners' Club. In 2004 the engine was rebuilt by marque specialists Conway Motors. Conway's detailed invoices are on file and the accompanying folder also contains numerous other bills; a quantity of MoTs (most recent expired 2013); instruction books; spare parts list; assorted technical literature; and old/current V5Cs.

The Vincent Owners Club has confirmed that the UFM (RC12099B) and engine (F10AB/1B/10199) is a series-C Black Shadow manufactured in early 1954. 'UJO 680' is an Oxfordshire registration, suggesting that it might have been despatched to Kings of Oxford. (It should be noted that the rear frame is from a 1948 Series-B Rapide.) Last run in March 2022. Offered with a selection of spares including rear luggage rack and tool tray.
Offered with key