Phillip Vincent was a determined man who had strong ideas about how a motorcycle should work and, more importantly, how a motorcycle should be built.

He had studied mechanical science at Cambridge University and had a low opinion of many features of contemporary machines.

In the 1920s, he built his first motorcycle. Like all the others, it had rear suspension with a triangulated pivot fork and the springs were mounted under the saddle to work against the upper frame. It had a Swiss Mag engine, a Moss gearbox, Webb forks, and Enfield hubs.

In 1927, at age 19, he decided to go into the motorcycle manufacturing business. After receiving advice from Arthur Bourne, he purchased the established HRD name of OK Supreme Company.

HRD’s name may have been only 3 years old, but Howard R Davies’ name was well known as he had tied for second in the 1914 Senior TT, was reported to have died in action in 1917 and had won the Senior from 1921 with his 350 AJS. After forming his company, he was second in Junior and won Senior in 1925.

Against this background, the models were in demand and were introduced before the name became Vincent. Davies was quite surprised with the motorcycle that turned out, as the thin rigid frame was gone, resulting in a machine that was completely changed except for the use of a proprietary engine. In 1930, Vincent HRD was known as a manufacturer of high-quality, hand-built machines.

Thanks to the depression, the company could not have chosen a more unfavorable time to use the rear suspension, as this was a major point against the brand. There was great prejudice against such things at the time, and the claim that all TT winners wore rigid frames countered any engineering reasoning.

Vincent’s sales were minimal and, like the Brough, they were a club for the dedicated. Little by little they improved and, in 1930, they switched to Olympia with a range powered by JAP engines. For touring there were the 490 and 600cc side valve engines, and for sports use the OHV engines of the same size. A pair of JAP racing engines cultivated the racing driver and finally there was the 350cc Grass Track racer. The latter was important to Vincent’s sales, and in 1930, sales were 36, representing a 50% increase over 1929.

This figure progressed to 48 in 1931 and in the same year, the company began listing Rudge Python engines as an option after experiencing a number of problems with JAP units.

In late 1931, Phil Irving joined the company and was immediately involved with the new painting. His knowledge was to complement the innovations that came from Vincent to produce well-functioning motorcycles.

The new frame set the format for the pre-war Vincent and had a single tank, seat, and down tubes. The engine was part of the frame with small front plates and huge rear ones. The latter surrounded the gearbox and provided the support for the rear fork pivot and its tapered roller bearings.

The rear suspension springs and shock absorbers were placed under the saddle and loaded with the triangulated rear fork. The damping was provided by friction material between the inner and outer spring box covers and could be adjusted using the outer clamps.

Within this framework, the customer had the choice of a 490cc JAP engine or a 499cc Python engine in standard or sport form. For those who preferred the older style, five more models were listed, but almost none were sold.

In 1933, a light ‘L’ model was added to the list that was powered by either a 247cc Villiers engine or a 245cc side valve JAP engine, but it never entered production. The prototype had the two-stroke power unit and it was interesting in that it was partially enclosed with panels around the crankcase and transmission. He retained the diamond-sprung frame, like the other models, which were all 500cc OHVs. One had a JAP engine and the others had the Python engine in two states of tune.

The two-stroke was modified for 1934 and became the ‘W’ model with a 249cc water-cooled Villiers engine. The frame was new and different from the others, except for the retention of a triangulated rear fork and a spring unit under the seat. The main frame was a malleable iron backbone to which two down tubes were bolted. These were attached to a channel section, which ran underneath the engine and gearbox to another, acting as seat support and rear fork pivot support. Strip remains reinforced construction.

Phil Vincent was disappointed in the 1934 TT, and with Rudge units increasingly difficult to come by, he decided to build his own. I would exhibit it at the next fair; I only had four months to produce it. It succeeded and the design set the style for all its future engines.

The valve gear was what set Vincent apart from the others, and it started with a camshaft set high up with push rods spaced to run parallel to the valve line, allowing the rocker arms to run straight into through the head to the valves.

The news that made headlines in 1937 was the appearance of the 998cc V-twin Rapide that performed tremendously. Unfortunately it was too fast for the transmission, which was known to wither under engine torque. Phil Irving went to work for Velocette, but then returned in 1943.

In 1939, only three models remained, the Meteor, the Comet and the Rapide, and the Comet was known as the touring machine. They were known to enthusiasts as fast, fast, and fast.

Production ceased in 1939 and the company went into war work with some special designs for services, but also with high-speed passenger car in mind for years to come.

After the war, motorcycle production resumed and by 1946 the company introduced the B Series Rapide, which was radically different from the A. The oil passages were internal and the gearbox was part of the engine cast. It had a shorter wheelbase and its dimensions were more like a 500cc motorcycle.

In 1948 the C Series Rapide, Black Shadow and Black Lightning models were introduced.

The Black Shadow was capable of 125 mph, and was easily recognized by its rear engine and gearbox unit, the Black Lightning was a racing version of the Black Shadow, with all the necessary steel parts that could be remade from aluminum. and everything. It is not essential to remove it completely, which reduced the weight from 458lbs to 380lbs. As a racer, it had a single racing seat and rear footrest.

With sales falling, Vincent attempted to build two new high-speed touring models, the fully enclosed Vincent Victor (an upgraded kite), the Black Knight (an upgraded Rapide), and the Vincent Black Prince (an upgraded Shadow). The public received them badly and a short-lived unjustified version of the Black Prince was produced. There was still a comet from the D Series.

Sales declined further due to the availability of cheaper cars.

In 1954, Vincent found himself in an increasingly difficult situation. In search of solvency, Vincent looked for ways to improve his position and the company revived the tricycle.

Sales fell further, and a single 3-wheel prototype powered by a 998cc Vincent Rapid engine was unofficially named “Polyphemus.”

After several more prototypes, the then called “Vincent 3-wheeler” was offered to the public in 1955 at £ 500, a high price for any vehicle at the time, especially for a vehicle without reverse gear, automatic starter or hood. The company did not sell any.

Vincent HRD motorcycles were built by hand and expensive. 11,000 machines were sold after World War II, and falling sales in 1954 forced the company to build NSU mopeds. Only forty of the two-stroke Vincent Fox NSUs were made. There was also the NSU Vincent 98cc four-stroke OHV and Vincent sold the NSU Quickly moped, which sold 20,000 units in one year.

At a Vincent Owners Club dinner in the summer of 1955, Phil Vincent announced that the company would no longer be able to continue in the face of such great losses and that motorcycle production would cease almost immediately.

Just a week before Christmas, the last Vincent motorcycle rolled off the production line. It was labeled “the last”.

Then the factory turned to general engineering, manufacturing industrial engines, and there was the Amanda water scooter, possibly the first personal watercraft. A Vincent engineer lost his life testing it.

Phil Vincent stated that Vincent’s pieces would always be, and indeed still are, through the Vincent Owners Club and other sources.

The company went into receivership in 1959, but has since been bought and sold by other engineering firms.