Vincent - The Complete Story

There are motorcycles designed to get their owners to work, motorcycles intended for leisurely Sunday rides, and motorcycles built with the apparent intention of frightening every other machine on the road into submission. The Vincent belonged firmly to the last category, a magnificent British creation that combined extraordinary performance, engineering brilliance and the sort of mechanical ambition that must have caused rival manufacturers to stare nervously at their drawing boards.

In Vincent – The Complete Story (2008), David Wright chronicles the remarkable history of one of Britain’s most legendary motorcycle manufacturers. Published by Crowood, this fascinating account explores the machines, personalities and technical innovations that made Vincent a name synonymous with speed, prestige and uncompromising engineering excellence.

The Vincent story is inseparable from the extraordinary vision of Philip Vincent and the engineering genius of Phil Irving. Together, they helped create motorcycles that challenged conventional thinking and established performance standards that seemed almost unreasonable for their time. While other manufacturers were content to produce respectable machines capable of transporting their owners at modest speeds, Vincent pursued the rather more exciting ambition of building some of the fastest motorcycles in the world.

The legendary Rapide and Black Shadow became icons of British motorcycling, combining powerful V-twin engines with advanced engineering and unmistakable character. The Black Shadow, in particular, acquired an almost mythical reputation, capable of extraordinary speeds at a time when many ordinary family cars were still struggling to maintain a respectable pace without overheating.

Naturally, such performance required considerable courage from the rider. These were motorcycles produced before electronic stability systems, sophisticated rider aids and the reassuring modern assumption that a computer should intervene whenever human judgement becomes excessively optimistic. Riding a Vincent demanded skill, concentration and a healthy respect for the consequences of enthusiastic throttle operation.

Wright’s book explores the company’s development, sporting achievements and technical innovations, celebrating an era when British motorcycle engineering commanded international admiration. The distinctive Vincent machines represented a remarkable combination of mechanical ingenuity, craftsmanship and determination to produce something genuinely exceptional.

Unfortunately, engineering brilliance and commercial success are not necessarily close acquaintances. Despite producing some of the finest motorcycles of their generation, Vincent faced mounting financial difficulties, and motorcycle production ended in 1955. It was another magnificent chapter in Britain’s long tradition of creating world-class machinery while somehow overlooking the inconvenient necessity of making sufficient money from it.

Today, surviving Vincents are highly prized by collectors, enthusiasts and individuals whose financial circumstances permit the ownership of machinery that can cost rather more than a perfectly respectable motor car.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned copy dating from 2008, showing ordinary signs of age and handling. Unlike a genuine Vincent motorcycle, it requires no specialist restoration, painstaking mechanical adjustment or a substantial conversation with one’s bank manager.

Published by Crowood in 2008. ISBN: 9781861265166.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we admire the finest achievements of British motorcycle engineering, particularly when acquiring them does not require selling the house or learning how to rebuild a high-performance V-twin engine.

An excellent addition to any collection of classic motorcycle literature, British engineering history or vintage performance machinery. Particularly recommended for enthusiasts who appreciate that, long before modern superbikes became commonplace, a small British manufacturer was already building motorcycles capable of making the rest of the motoring world look decidedly pedestrian.

Keep browsing: See more Transport books Other books by David Wright