Philip Conrad Vincent, born in Fulham on this day in 1908 after his mother travelled back to England from Argentina, where she and her husband owned a cattle ranch. Ada wanted Philip to be a British citizen, and so he was.
After initial years back in Argentina, young Philip found himself back in England again to continue his education. During his time at Harrow, a friend introduced him to motorcycles and he was hooked. Well done, that man. Philip bought his first bike, a secondhand 350cc BSA, from Gamages department store in 1924. A year later he’d designed his own bike.
Although he got in to Cambridge in 1926, Philip didn’t finish his degree. Instead, convincing his father to let him take a break to develope his first ‘`Vincent Special’ with a MAG engine from Motosacoche.
The genesis of the Vincent company came in 1928. With help from the family business, Philip bought the HRD trademark and remaining spares when it was ailing in 1928. The name was changed to Vincent HRD.
The first Vincent-HRD used a JAP or Rudge-Python engine. After a torrid time at the 1934 TT, Philip and Phil Irving got to work and designed the 499cc Series A that went in their Comet.
That was soon followed by the Series A Rapide, with a 998cc engine.
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Manufacturing stopped during the war but in that time,Vincent and Irving designed the Series B V-twin engine and so the Series B Rapide. The HRD part of the name was dropped in 1949 to avoid confusion with Harley Davidson’s ‘HD’.
With further development, the Series B became the powerhouse for the legendary Black Shadow and Black Lightning.
Phil Vincent died in 1971, but what a magnificent legacy.
Take it away, Richard.
