1953 Vincent 998cc Series C Black Shadow

This ad is marked as Sold

Description:


From the prominent American family du Pont, a name synonymous with a chemical empire, a luxury automobile manufacturer, and America’s first motorcycle company, is a private museum collection three generations in the making.

Offered for the very first time, the collection of nearly 50 vintage motorcycles spanning 70 years of history contains many important and impressive machines, a good number of them Indian.

As an investor of the Indian Motocycle (sic) Company since 1923, Eleuthere Paul du Pont took over the ailing company in 1929 and helped usher in one of the most successful eras – financially, competitively, technologically and stylistically – in Indian’s history. As a result of this, the du Pont family collection contains numerous Indian models – many of which were restored at Indian’s Springfield, Mass. factory – such as Camelback, Singles, Twins, Board Track Racer, Prince, Scout, Chief and Four.

Lot No: 215

c.1953 Vincent 998cc Series C Black Shadow
Frame no. RC/11818B (see text)
Engine no. F10AB/1B/9918
Rear frame no. RC11818B
Crankcase mating no. A112V

Ever since the Series A's arrival in 1937, the Vincent v-twin has been synonymous with design innovation, engineering excellence and superlative high performance. From Rollie Free's capture of the 'world's fastest production motorcycle' record in 1948 on a tuned Series-B Black Shadow to the final fully enclosed Black Knight and Black Prince, Philip Vincent's stress on appearance and performance is legendary. His machines bristled with innovative features, offering adjustment of brake pedal, footrests, seat height and gear-change lever. The finish was to a very high standard commensurate with the cost of the machine, which was virtually double that of any of its contemporaries.

But above all else it was the v-twin's stupendous performance that captivated motorcyclists, whether they could afford one or not. The appeal of the Vincent, and the Black Shadow in particular, lay in its ability to out-perform just about every other vehicle on the road, and in the early post-war years there was nothing to compare with it. This was a time when the average family sedan was barely capable of reaching 70mph, and not until the advent of Jaguar's XK120 was there a production sports car that could live with the thundering v-twins from Stevenage. With a top speed approaching 120mph and bettering it in the Black Shadow's case, the Vincent v-twin was quite simply the fastest road vehicle of its day.

This Shadow's main frame was replaced with a factory-supplied (and unstamped) part after original owner Stuart Evans rode the machine onto a porch (after the clutch stuck) and broke the frame. Evans traded the machine with Lex du Pont for a 650cc Triumph. Lex only rode the Vincent for 17 miles (with his brother Everitt riding pillion) but dropped it avoiding a car, which then drove over the front wheel, hence the non-original replacement. Currently displaying a recorded mileage of only 3,034, the Shadow boasts an original Feridax seat and retains its factory paintwork on the gas tank. Most importantly, the machine is offered with its original frame and a quantity of spare parts, and comes with Certificate of Title.

Without reserve

Estimate: US$50,000 - 60,000
Request Condition Report

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Email: Motor Cars (US)
Tel: +1 415 391 4000

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Ad Details


Property is Sold
Garage Spaces (put 0 if this does not apply) 0.00
Type: Classic Vehicle / Collector Vehicle, Motorcycle
New or Used: Used
Year: 1953
Model: 998cc Series C Black Shadow
Make: Vincent
Price: $0 USD
Price Info Being Sold at Auction: Estimate: US $50,000 - 60,000
Exterior Color: Black
Which Celebrity? The DuPont Collection
Celebrity Owned Yes

For Sale at Auction


Auction Sale? Yes
Type of Auction Phone Bidding, Internet Bidding, On-site Registration, Minimum Bid Amount Required, Retail Auction Event, Reserve Price
Auction Date 01/12/2012
Auction Time 12 Noon
Location Imperial Palace and Casino in Las Vegas
Name of Auction The Las Vegas Motorcycle Sale
Auction Website http://www.bonhams.com/usa/auction/19679/lot/215/

Unique Sale Issues


Type of Sale Auction Company Sale

Location


Address 3535 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
City Las Vegas
State NV
Postal Code 89109
Country usa

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Ad id: 47812082
Ad views: 6471