Property of a deceased's estate, 1955 Vincent 998cc Series-D Black Knight

Registration no. XWL 245 Frame no. RD12715/F Rear Frame No. RD12715/F Engine no. F10AB/2B/10815 Crankcase mating no. G98V / G98V

• One of the rarest of post-war Vincents
• Matching frame and engine
• Present family ownership since 2003
• Requires re-commissioning

Ever since the Series A's arrival in 1937, the Vincent v-twin had been synonymous with design innovation, engineering excellence, and superlative high performance. So in September 1955 when it was revealed that production of the Stevenage-built machines would cease, the news stunned the motorcycling world. It had been decided that the firm's future lay in more profitable lines of manufacture. By the time its demise was announced, Vincent's final twin - the Series D - had been in production for just six months.

It had been Philip Vincent's belief that provision of ample weather protection combined with enclosure of engine and gearbox, would make the Vincent Series D the ultimate 'gentleman's motorcycle', though delayed delivery of the glassfibre panels - plus continuing demand for traditionally styled models - resulted in over half the production leaving the Stevenage factory in un-enclosed form. The enclosed Rapide and Black Shadow were known as the 'Black Knight' and 'Black Prince' respectively. Other Series D innovations included a new frame and rear suspension, and a user-friendly centre stand, plus many improvements to the peerless v-twin engine.

Sadly, its creator's vision of the Series-D as a two-wheeled Grande Routière just did not conform to the public's perception of the Vincent as the ultimate sports motorcycle. The firm lost money on every machine made, and when production ceased in December 1955 around 460 Series-D v-twins had been built, some 200 of which were enclosed models.

The Vincent Owners' Club has kindly confirmed that this Black Knight was manufactured in 1955 and retains matching numbers. The Vincent was supplied to Layton's of Oxford (Motors Ltd), who registered it as 'XWL 245' on 21st May 1955. It was then sold to Leo Patrick Robinson on 16th June 1955 (see old RF.60 logbook on file). Subsequent ownership is unknown up to 1986 when the Vincent was owned by a Kenneth Francis Day of Oxford (old V5 photocopy on file). The machine was purchased by the late owner from a B K Robinson of Droitwich Spa in 2003 (invoice on file). 'XWL 245' was last taxed until 31.3.2005 and has remained off the road since then (there are SORNs on file for the period 2005-2011). Re-commissioning and/or restoration to a greater or lesser extent will be required before the Vincent returns to the road (the engine turns over). Sold strictly as viewed, the machine comes with a current V5C and a history file of documentation. Offered with 3x ignition keys and 1x throttle lock key.
Offered with key