Howard R Davies founded the
marque HRD in 1924 and won the 1924 Senior
Isle of Man TT on his own-make machine but
his firm failed in 1927. In 1928 Philip
Vincent, a wealthy undergraduate, bought
the HRD name and designed a new motorcycle
with his own spring frame and marketed it
as Vincent HRD, with a choice of mostly
JAP or Rudge engines.
In 1934, Phil Irving designed
a 500cc high-camshaft ohv single Vincent
engine that doubled up to make a 1000cc
V-twin, which in 1937 became the Rapide
model. Redesigned for 1946, the Rapide became
lighter and faster. The letters HRD were
discontinued in 1950. Falling sales of expensive
motorcycles caused closure in 1956. Vincent
motorcycle history.
| Bike |
Image |
Description |
| 1939 Vincent Meteor 500cc |
 |
1950 Vincent onbekend, 500cc |
 |
Vincent Comet 500cc |
 |
1949 Vincent HRD Series C with Steib
S501 Sports Side Car |
 |
Picture kindly provided by - www.roncobb.com |
1949 Vincent Rapide Series C
|
 |
Phil Vincent sought to produce
a machine with a shorter wheelbase
than the Series A twin capable of
sustaining a 100mph for high mileages
with exceptional handling and braking,
a high level of rider comfort and
good accessibility for maintaince.
That he achieved those goals with
the introduction of the Series B is
now a matter of historical fact and
the innovations employed to achieve
them still influence motorcycle design
today. In order to reduce the wheelbase
and retain the vee-twin engine configuration
with its attendant advantages, Phil
Vincent dispensed with a conventional
frame and utilised the engine and
gearbox unit as an integral part of
the structure mounting the headstock
directly to it. A steel oil tank formed
the backbone of the machine and provided
a mounting point for the cantilever
rear forks suspension units.
Image provided by www.classic-auctions.com.
|
Vincent 1000 Series C |
 |
Engine - 998cc, OHV Vee-twin
Power - 55bhp @ 5500rpm
Top Speed - 125mph
Transmission - 4-speed
Frame - Backbone box-section, engine
as stressed member
Brakes - Double drum/double drum |
Vincent Black Prince |
 |
Engine - 998cc, 47.5 degree v-twin
ohv four-stroke
Bore and Stroke - 84 x 90 mm
Compression Ratio - 6.8:1
Power - 45bhp @ 5500rpm
Launched - 1936-1939
Wheelbase - 56in
Weight - 430lb
Carburettor - 1 1/16in Amal
Top Speed - 105+ mph |
Vincent Black Shadow |
 |
In 1951 the Black Shadow cost £402,
the same as a terraced house in Darlington,
it was sold as the fastest production
motorcycle in the world. The mudguards
were made of stainless stell because
owner Philip Vincent hated crome.
Engine - 998cc, air-cooled pushrod
V-twin
Power - 65bhp
Launched - 1948-1955
Top Speed - 125 mph |
| 1950 Vincent Black Shadow Series C
|
 |
The Vincent Black shadow is perhaps
the best-known classic high performance
motorcycle of all time. The C Series
was introduced in late 1948 by Vinceent
HRD, a Biritish motorcycles manufacturer.
Every one of the Black Shadow built
(roughly 1500) were hand-assembled,
and one can only guess how many are
still intact.
|
| 1950 Vincent Comet, 498cc |
 |
| 1949 1000cc Vincent Black Shadow Series
B |
 |
The Shadow featured a mildly "breathed
on engine" with larger carburettors
and a higher compression ratio which
resulted in a top speed in excess of
120mph. The brake drums were ribbed
and the engine and gearbox were finished
in black enamel whilst a 5 inch 150mph
speedometer dominated the riders view.
As with the Rapide the Series C Black
Shadow benefited from the adoption of
Girdraulic forks. Shadowised Rapides,
whilst not common, are a relatively
familiar sight, offering the performance
and appearance of a Shadow for a little
more than a Rapide. |
Vincent Rapide - 1937 |
 |
Engine - 998cc, 47.5 degree v-twin
ohv four-stroke
Bore and Stroke - 84 x 90 mm
Compression Ratio - 6.8:1
Power - 45bhp @ 5500rpm
Launched - 1936-1939
Wheelbase - 56in
Weight - 430lb
Carburettor - 1 1/16in Amal
Top Speed - 105+ mph |
| 1950 Vincent Comet Series 3 |
 |
Image provided by www.BuyVintage.co.uk.
|
| Vincent Rapide Series C 1953 |
 |
|
| Vincent Rapide 1950 Series C with
Steib Sidecar |
 |
|
1951 Vincent Rapide Series C
|
 |
The pre-war Series A Rapide offered
a level of performance unrivalled
by the vast majority of its rivals,
however the vee-twin engine configuration
resulted in a long wheelbase endowing
the machine with slow, albeit stable,
handling. The Stevenage based company
promised a revised model in their
wartime advertising that would address
this issue together with the cluttered
appearance of the engine due to the
external oil lines that gave it the
"plumber's nightmare" nickname.
The result was promised to be fast,
capable of cruising at 100mph, with
exemplary handling and braking, a
high degree of rider comfort and easy
maintenance.
Image provided by www.classic-auctions.com.
|
| 1952 Vincent Comet with Steib S500
sidecar |
 |
|
| Vincent Series C Comet |
 |
|
| 1953 Vincent Rapide, 1000cc |
 |
|
| 1954 Vincent Firefly on Royal Enfield
Cycle |
 |
Vincent, however, made hand-built
motorcycles that were exclusive and
expensive. This was a big problem.
Only 11,000 of their superb machines
were sold between 1945 and 1954. The
company had to try different ideas
to revive their fortunes. In 1954,
they built NSU Fox motorcycles and
NSU Quicklys under license for sale
in Great Britain. More
info.. |
| 1955 Vincent Black Knight |
 |
998cc. |
| 1956 Vincent Firefly on Phillips Gents
Cycle
|
 |
The Firefly was marketed at the
same time as Vincent imported and
sold the NSU Quickly. The Quickly
was so successful that Firefly sales
suffered as a result. It was a well-built
machine, still very useable over 50
years down the road. These days the
model is highly sought-after by Vincent
afficionados and cyclemotor enthusiasts
alike.
Image kindly provided by www.BuyVintage.co.uk.
|
