For most motorcycle enthusiasts, hearing the word “Vincent” brings to mind their most famous model – the Black Shadow. Few people know, however, that this legendary bike was really just a redesign of the Rapide, a performance machine in its own right. In fact, some say that if the Black Shadow had never come along, the Rapide would be the bike most commonly associated with the brand.
The Vincent Rapide began its life back in the mid-1930s, when the company was already well known for its large single cylinder bikes. They introduced a prototype Rapide at the 1936 Olympia Motorcycle Show, a bike that boasted a 998cc, 50 degree v-twin engine. It made 45 horsepower – “rapide” indeed! After World War II interrupted production, the Rapide made a comeback and for a time was hailed as the world’s fastest motorcycle, clocking 110mph.
This piece of motorcycling history features quite a few unique elements, including cantilever rear suspension, a gearbox integrated with the engine, and drum brakes that allowed for quick detachment of the wheels in an age when puncture flats were prevalent. This bike may never live up to the glory of the Black Shadow, but it is nothing short of a gorgeous machine that is fun to look at and even more fun to ride!
So how did this particular Vincent Rapide come into the possession of Marcelo Doffo? Through a rather unusual series of events, as it turns out. Marcelo’s friend and fellow collector, Mitch, had been insisting that Marcelo buy a Vincent. Marcelo was reluctant at first, due to the old history between Great Britain and Argentina. He swore he would never own an English motorbike! Soon enough though, Marcelo relented and admitted that if any English bike was to join his collection, it would have to be a Vincent.
In 2012, a 1951 Vincent Rapide became available through a friend of Mitch, none other than the former President of the Santa Clarita Vincent Owners Club. The day before Marcelo was supposed to pick up the motorcycle, the seller phoned Marcelo with some unfortunate news. It seemed that the seller had previously committed to sell the motorcycle to another interested party. The other buyer had been slow to pull the trigger and complete the transaction, that is until he caught wind that there was another serious buyer.
Marcelo, distraught from the back-and-forth, went out and bought a Ducati instead. And not just any Ducati, but the 2008 Desmosedici RR!
By 2017, Robert, the man who bought the Vincent back in 2012, decided he no longer wanted the bike. Apparently, amongst the paperwork that accompanied the purchase of the motorcycle, there was a printed email containing the conversations between Marcelo and the original seller. Robert expressed to Marcelo that he found the email thread and wanted to offer the very same motorcycle to Marcelo before he put it on the market. Marcelo took this as a sign that it was meant to be and jumped in a truck to go get his Vincent!
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With this incredible motorcycle and the fantastic adventure of acquisition, we felt that it was more than deserving to have the honor of representing this year’s Royal Tinto. Makoto Endo’s original rendition of this legendary motorcycle is nothing short of breathtaking, and we know it will decorate workshops and wine cellars for years
to come.