From the estate of the late David Atkinson, 1954/50 Vincent 998cc Series-C Rapide/Black Shadow (see text)

Registration no. JCR 988 Frame no. RC/12124/B (see text) Rear frame no. RC9046B/B Engine no. F10AB/1B/7146 Crankcase mating no. RR62/RR62

• Rapide upper frame
• All other numbers correct
• Previous ownership from 1968- 2018
• Stored for the last 53 years

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.

Vincent Owners Club records show that engine number 'F10AB/1B/7146' (with upper frame 'RC9046B/B') belonged to a Black Shadow that went to Jenkin & Purser in Southampton in June 1950, while this machine's upper frame (number 'RC/1/7578') is from a Rapide Series C dating from 1954. The substitution was almost certainly carried out after the original upper frame had been damaged in an accident. The rear sub-frame ('RC9046B/B') is correct for the engine.

The immediately preceding owner purchased 'JCR 988' in 1968 from John Craig & Co in Bristol, whose dealer plaque is still fixed to the rear mudguard. A student in Bath at the time, the aforementioned owner used the Vincent for around one year before finding it too expensive to run; it was then put in the garage and has been unused ever since! The current (late) owner purchased the Vincent at Bonhams' Beaulieu sale in September 2018 (Lot 407), since when it has been stored. Presented in 'oily rag' condition, ripe for sympathetic restoration, the machine is offered with handbooks, an old V5 registration document, and an old-style continuation logbook (issued 1966) recording the original frame/engine numbers and listing the model as 'Black Shadow'.
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