Property of a deceased's estate, 1951 Vincent 998cc Series-C Black Shadow

• Delivered new to Jack Surtees' dealership
• Present ownership since 2011
• Dry stored since acquisition
• Requires recommissioning

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. 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 saloon 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 Series-C Black Shadow was despatched new to Jack Surtees' dealership in London in September 1951 and registered as 'MGW 585'. The Vincent was acquired by the late owner in 2011 (copy/print of purchase receipt on file), since when it has been kept dry stored. The Shadow carries a tax disc that expired on 30th April 2015 and currently displays a total of 17,160 miles on the 5" Smiths speedometer's at the time of photography/cataloguing. Following a period of inactivity, the machine will require recommissioning to a greater or lesser extent before further use and thus is sold strictly as viewed.

It should be noted that the accompanying V5C records the engine number as 'F10AB/1B/7463B', whereas the actual number is 'F10AB/1B/7463', while the rear frame number appears to be a correction. According to the VOC Machine Registrar, it seems possible that a character '6' has been missed out and the frame stamped 'RC933', which has been corrected to '9363'. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should satisfy themselves with regard to this motorcycle's originality and correctness prior to bidding. Additional documents include current V5C; a copy of the previous-owner V5C; some expired MoTs; DVLA SORN correspondence; a 2015 VOC dating certificate; and copies of original factory paperwork. The machine has been fitted with a centre stand for convenience.