Lot 606: 1955 Vincent 998cc Black Shadow & Steib TR500 Sidecar

Since the Series A’s arrival in 1937, the Vincent v-twin had been synonymous with design innovation, engineering excellence, and superlative high performance. So in September 1955 when it was revealed that production of the Stevenage-built machines would cease, the news stunned the motorcycling world. It had been decided that the firm’s future lay in more profitable lines of manufacture, and just 100 more of the fabulous v-twins would be completed. By the time its demise was announced, Vincent’s final twin - the Series D - had been in production for just six months.

It had been Philip Vincent’s belief that provision of ample weather protection combined with enclosure of engine and gearbox, would make the Vincent Series D the ultimate ‘gentleman’s motorcycle’ and to reflect this change of emphasis the enclosed Rapide and Black Shadow were known as Black Knight and Black Prince respectively. In actuality, delayed delivery of the glassfibre panels - plus continuing demand for traditionally styled models - resulted in over half the production leaving the Stevenage factory in un-enclosed form.

Other Series-D innovations included a new frame and rear suspension - a steel tube replaced the original fabricated upper member/oil tank while the paired spring boxes gave way to a single hydraulic coil-spring/damper unit offering a generous seven inches of suspension travel. In place of the integral oil reservoir there was a separate tank beneath the seat. The user-friendly hand-operated centre stand was a welcome addition, and there were many improvements to the peerless v-twin engine including coil ignition for easier starting and Amal Monobloc carburettors. Sadly though, the Shadow’s magnificent 5”-diameter Smiths speedometer had been replaced by a standard 3” unit.

Notwithstanding the fact that, as far as Philip Vincent was concerned, the Series D was his finest design, the motorcycle-buying public greeted the innovatory new models with suspicion, as is so often the case. The appeal of the Vincent, and the Black Shadow in particular, lay in its ability to out-perform just about every other vehicle on the road, and in the early post-war years there was nothing to compare with it. This was a time when the average family saloon was barely capable of reaching 70mph, and not until the advent of Jaguar's XK120 was there a production sportscar that could live with the thundering v-twins from Stevenage. Its creator's vision of the Series D as a two-wheeled Grand Routier just did not conform to the public's perception of the Vincent as the ultimate sports-bike. The firm lost money on every machine made, and when production ceased in December 1955 just 460 Series D v-twins had been built.

Few machines of the period were better suited to pulling a ‘chair’ than the powerful Vincent Black Shadow, and this example is attached to one of the finest sports sidecars available – the Steib TR500. Supplied by A E Reynolds Ltd, of Liverpool on 20th June 1955, the machine was first owned by one Stuart Wright, of Pembsy, Wirral and secondly by one T E Edwards, of Offerton, Stockport. The vendor is only the third registered private owner. Restored in 1989 and acquired by the current owner soon afterwards, the machine was serviced in April 2002 (details available) and last MoT’d for road use in 2005, though it has been run on a regular basis since then and heard to do so by Bonhams staff. ‘TKA 896’ is offered with old-style logbook, Swansea V5 registration document and SORN. A new sidecar screen will have been fitted by time of sale.