1950 Vincent Black Lightning

For sale by auction on Saturday 31 August 2013 with Historics at Brooklands. Brooklands Motor Racing Circuit. Weybridge. Surrey. Call 01753 639170
Vincent Motorcycles began production in 1928 and were well
established after World War II when they launched the 1000cc Black
Lightning. This was a production version of the Black Lightning
which held the world land speed record but with a similar engine
specification. On 13th September. 1948. Rollie Free achieved the
U. S. national motorcycle speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats in
Utah riding the first Vincent Black Lightning and. during test
runs. reached average speeds of 148. 6mph. To reduce drag. Free
stripped to his swimming shorts for the final run which he famously
made lying flat with his legs stretched out and his head low. br/>guiding the Vincent by following a black stripe painted on the salt
bed. The stunt worked as Free covered the mile in 23. 9 seconds. br/>passing the 150mph barrier and on the return run he reached a
record average speed of 150. 313mph. This led to one of the most
famous photographs in motorcycle history. known as the 'Bathing
Suit Bike'. The American Motorcyclist Association certified Free's
record. Innovative features of the bike included the first-ever
Vincent rear shock absorber. the first Mk. II racing cams and
horizontally mounted racing carburettors. In 1950. Rollie Free
returned to the Bonneville Salt Flats and broke his own record. br/>averaging speeds of 156. 58mph on the Vincent despite a high-speed
crash during those speed trials. Available to order. a standard
Black Lightning was supplied in racing trim with magnesium alloy
components. special racing tyres on alloy rims. rear-set foot
controls. a solo seat and aluminium mud guards which reduced the
Lightning's weight to 380lb. The 998cc air-cooled OHV pushrod
V-twin specifications were always based on standard parts but
upgraded with higher performance racing equipment. The Black
Lightning had higher strength connecting rods. larger inlet ports. br/>polished rocker gear. steel idler gears. racing carburettors and a
manual-advance magneto and was available with compression ratios
between 6. 8:1 and 12. 5:1. This resulted in 70bhp and a top speed of
150mph. Only 31 Black Lightning's were ever built before production
ended in 1952.

Ted Davis was employed by Vincent's from 1947 until 1959 as an
engine builder. tester. development engineer and racer. Started in
the winter of 1949 and completed by the following spring. Ted built
this bike starting with crankcases AA52. The first race with this
bike took place at Haddenham followed by Cadwell Park. Croft and
Brands Hatch. Ted was a more than competent rider but often came
second to a Vincent colleague. George Brown. the Development
Manager. He set about modifying his bike to sidecar
specification which included 16" wheels. lower gearing and a
Watsonian sidecar; his race partner. in this format. was another
Vincent colleague. Ron Kean. Clearly this was a good combination as
they managed a number of outright victories. George Brown then
parted company with Vincent and Ted Davis became the Development
Manager. After the demise of Vincent. Ted became Development
Manager for Borg Warner. When Ted finished racing in the seventies. br/>he had the bike completely rebuilt by Furness and Searle (who were
also both ex-Vincent employees). It was to be returned to
original Black Lightning trim with black engine. alloy WM1X 21"
front wheel and WM2X 20" rear wheel. twin start pump Scintilla
Magneto. big bore heads and clip-fitting GP carburettors. In 1979. br/>Ted Davis sold the bike to Brian Verral Motorcycles in London who
subsequently sold the Vincent to a private collector. Apart from
the occasional parade. the bike was seldom used in his 30 years of
ownership. Currently owned by a very knowledgeable Vincent
enthusiast. this Black Lightning has been run for a short distance. br/>most recently in June 2013. Vincent Black Lightning's are rare to
find. and one with a history and pedigree such as this is sure to
capture the attention of enthusiasts worldwide.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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