Property of a deceased's estate, c.1949 Vincent 998cc Series-C 'Rapide'

Registration no. GNK 564 (see text) Frame no. RC/1/4786 Rear frame no. none Engine no. none Crankcase mating no. WW34 / WW34

• Long-term single family ownership since 1960
• Stored for some time
• Requires re-commissioning

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 'Series D' Black Knight and Black Prince, Philip Vincent's stress on appearance and performance is legendary. His machines bristled with innovative features including adjustable footrests, brake pedal, 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. With a top speed approaching 120mph, and bettering it in the Black Shadow's case, the Vincent v-twin was the fastest road vehicle of its day.

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 upper frame of this Vincent Rapide is that of a Series C Comet that left the factory in September 1949, while the engine is not numbered. The crankcase mating number 'WW34' does not appear in the factory records but is from a sequence in late 1951. Since at least 1957 this motorcycle has carried the registration 'GNK 564', the prototype Rapide of 1946. Writing many years later in MPH, former factory engineer George Buck had this to say about 'GNK 564': "We did install one Picador flywheel assembly in a Company motorcycle. I am pretty sure it was the Works sidecar float GNK 564. This long suffering outfit was continuously and mercilessly thrashed by "Garry" (Paul Garrod of the Transport Dept, who, as mentioned earlier, was our area Scrambles and Trials Ace) and used often to test fresh innovations such as early samples of die-cast crankcases or any other alternative supplier's products like chains, tensioners, spark plugs, engine shaft shock absorber springs, silencers, etc. Anyway, I think all who tried this combination were impressed with the improvement in smoothness, already noted, and the attendant reduction in vibration - I thought it felt almost turbine like compared with the standard unit." As a 'works hack', 'GNK 564' would have had components, both major and minor, changed on a regular basis, which may explain the later frame and un-numbered engine and rear frame. However, as the frame number does not match the V5C, this motorcycle must be considered unregistered and is offered without documents. Stored for some time, the machine will require re-commissioning or possibly more extensive restoration before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed.
Offered without key