Lot 229: 1947 Vincent-HRD 998 cc Rapide Series B

The ‘Series A’ Vincent-HRD ‘Rapide’ was, arguably, the pre-WW2 era’s most astonishing road motor cycle and the post-war ‘Series B’, announced in late 1945, stunned the public and, for that matter, every other motor cycle maker. Its innovative ‘frameless’ design, its small size – described as a ‘cobby, extraordinarily compact machine’ by ‘Motor Cycle’ - and above all, its staggering performance with 100mph available seemingly without effort, left every other maker’s performance bikes for dead. And it worked! Bikes bought by private owners did those speeds and, minor teething troubles apart, worked so well that demand grew fast. Then, and now, very expensive, a ‘Series B’ is an icon, the first of the line. ASV 113, an early ‘SeriesB’, is apparently in standard trim and has not yet been subject to a major restoration. In the hands of its late owner for fifteen years, it formed, justifiably, the centre of his collection and now awaits a new keeper. Its complete history has yet to be traced and it comes with a V5 and some earlier documents. Genuinely a rare opportunity to acquire such a machine.