From the estate of the late David Atkinson, c.1950 Vincent-HRD 998cc Rapide

Registration no. 680 YUY Frame no. RC5210 Rear frame no. RC4114B Engine no. F10AB/1/2692 Crankcase mating no. AA96/AA96

• Assembled from parts
• Seemingly restored to a good standard
• 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 the 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 Rapide Series B was immediately the fastest production motorcycle on sale anywhere, with a top speed of 110mph. The basic design clearly had even greater potential though, which would be realised later in the form of the Black Shadow and Black Lightning models. In 1948 the Vincent range began to be up-dated to 'Series C' specification but it would be 1950 before all Vincents left the factory in this form.

This particular Rapide has been assembled from parts and restored to what seems like a good standard, though it is not known when it was constructed or last ran. The late owner purchased the machine at Bonhams' Stafford sale in October 2011 (Lot 379). Recorded on the HPI database as having registration 680 YUY, there is no paperwork with this Lot, which is offered for re-commissioning and sold strictly as viewed.
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