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Vincent is the perfect embodiment and the true definition of a vintage motorcycle brand. It’s sad to even imagine that the once-dominant brand is no more. It didn’t leave empty-handed though, the company left a rich history and tales that’d be told for many generations to come. The story of the company entails a prisoner of war, a swimsuit, and a world record. Still can’t make the connection? Here’s how it goes.

The narrative begins during World War I when a bold English pilot named Howard Raymond Davis, was captured by the Germans. As a prisoner of War, Howard Davis drew interest in motorcycle production targeting a post-war market. After the war, in 1924, he collaborated with EJ Massey to form HRD motorcycles. Funnily, the company performed better in motorcycle championships than it did in financial statements. Davis placed the business under voluntary receivership to a firm known as OK-Supreme Motors.

On the other hand, a man named Philip Vincent also had a dream of becoming a motorcycle industrialist. Vincent acquired a patent for a cantilever rear suspension that was fitted on the rear of the motorcycle. He was advised to buy an operational motorcycle company that already had some market exposure. Armed with his family wealth, Vincent purchased the HRD trademark and the remaining shares of the business.

A happy Vincent rebranded his company to Vincent HRD Co. With the swelling US market, the company had to drop the HRD part in their name to avoid confusion with the predominant Harley-Davidson, thus remaining with Vincent. The company had a reputation for producing some of the most iconic motorcycles the two-wheel industry has ever seen. Models such as the Vincent Black Shadow, the 1936 Series A Rapide, and the Meteor and Comet are names that will turn heads when mentioned in public.

Now, to the swimsuit part, the company wanted to break the then land speed barrier of 150mph. Rider Rolland Free stripped down to a swimsuit and a bathing cap as a mechanism of reducing drag. He also removed the seat and took a horizontal posture while riding the Vincent Black Shadow. Rolland broke the record to 150.313mph making the Black Shadow the world’s fastest production bike. Vincent went under receivership in 1959 with Harper Engines taking its name and the motorcycle elements. Unfortunately, that’s how the company vanished into obscurity.