Engine Punk

Of all the Vintage Things so far, the A series Vinnie has aroused most interest and I recently heard about a most interesting and very rare variant the TTR. Just before World War II, the factory went racing and subsequently built 3 A series TTRs - or Tourist Trophy Replicas - for sale. Two survive, one in Japan and the other in the US, which is being restored by Stephen Pate at Restoration Werks in Illinois & Minnesota. He's sent me these pre-restoration pictures. That's right - pre-restoration. Market value is estimated at $800k! The price of a TTR has traditionally been reckoned to be twice that of a standard A series Vincent and following the sale recently of an outstanding example at $400,000, $800k could be possible if it ever came to market - not that this TTR is for sale, however. As pictured it features the incorrect forks and front brake but incredibly the correct pattern girder forks were found on a wall in Japanese temple. Obviously really. All that was nee...

The beast at bay I am currently researching Vincent motorcycles because Nick Hob, the Horsepower Whisperer and central character in my book of that name, rides a highly modified one. The reputation of the Vincent stands head and shoulders above any of its contemporaries. When introduced, it was the fastest production roadster on two, three or four wheels - and that probably includes some aircraft as they take off and land. This is an example of the very first Vincent V-twin, the series A Vincent-HRD Rapide. Legend has it that the two Phils, Phil Vincent and Phil Irving, were in the drawing office one day when a breeze caused two blueprints of their recently introduced 500cc single to land one upon another in a vee formation. The potential was obvious and, once Phil Irving had designed a new crankcase, the machine became an awe-inspiring reality. By adopting an angle of 47 degrees between the cylinder barrels, the same tooling for the single cylinder versions could be used. ...