vincent motorcycle

Frame no. RC4392 Engine no. F10AB/1/2492 • One of a kind, ultra-rare motorcycle • Matching numbers example • Authenticated and recognized by the Vincent Owners Club The year 1949 was a tumultuous one for the Indian Motocycle Company in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company was beleaguered on several fronts, most entirely due to finances. President of Indian, Ralph Rogers, was envisioning the future of motorcycling belonged to lightweights, like the Japanese manufacturers would confirm in a few short years, but his Torque series motorcycles were six months delayed leading to a loss of income, plus the manufacturing costs were double the estimated costs. Add injury to insult, the British currency was devalued so any advantage of the new lightweights against the English motorcycles was erased. Rogers invited Phil Vincent of the Vincent Company to visit Indian during his tour of the U.S. dealers where the two men devised a concept to create a blend of the Indian Chief and the Vincent motorcycles. The compromise would have helped Indian with a modernization of the venerable Indian Chief with less investment funds, and also would have helped the Vincent by supplying engines. The plan entailed two prototypes; one would be a Chief with a Vincent engine installed and the second would be a standard Vincent Rapide customized with Indian parts recognizable to the Indian faithful. The proposal would supply 50 units of the former prototype, the Vindian, per week and the delivery of 20 units per week of the latter prototype, the Indian-Vincent. Sounds good on paper but Indian never followed through on the plan following the prototype stage, leading Vincent to enter into receivership due to purchasing materials for the business plan that would never happen. Vincent engineer, Phil Irving took on the project of the Indian and Vincent combinations. He completed […]