1954 Vincent 998cc Series-C Rapide

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 on the Series C.

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 wonderful time warp Rapide has been owned by the vendor for over 30 years. Purchased in its current configuration with the touring mudguards already fitted, it is additionally offered with a set of detached touring handlebars to complete the look. Sadly, none of its history is known and since being purchased by the vendor it has remained in storage and will therefore require recommissioning to a greater or lesser extent before returning to the road. It should be noted that the engine doesn't turn over. Fitted with the iconic 150mph speedometer, the machine currently displays 1,726 miles the odometer. The Vincent Owners Club advise the build sheets for this particular machine are missing from their records and they are therefore unable to confirm whether or not this Rapide left the factory as a Touring Rapide. Despite displaying the VRN 'PLM 177', the machine is not recorded on the HPI/DVLA database. Accordingly prospective bidders must satisfy themselves with regards to the validity of the vehicle's registration number prior to bidding. Offered without documents.
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