The Vintagent Selects: A collection of our favorite films by artists around the world.
SpeedisExpensive: The Untold Story of the Vincent Motorcycle (TBD)
Run Time: 1:53
Film by: David Lancaster (Director)
Produced by: Gerry Jenkinson, David Lancaster and James Salter
Filmed by: Steve Read, Robbie Douglas and Gerry Jenkinson
Associate Producers: Philip Vincent-Day and Mike Nicks
Executive Producers: JP Davidson and Peter Bender
Key cast: Philip Vincent-Day, Dee Vincent-Day, Jay Leno, John Surtees, Paul Simonon,
friends, family and co-workers of Philip Vincent and Phil Irving
Music: Vaughn Williams and John Fairhurst
FILM
SpeedisExpensive is the story of a man who sacrificed nearly everything to build the world’s most famous motorcycle – a machine Hunter S Thompson called ‘Pure hell on a straightaway.’ The 1000cc Vincent took on the world – and often won – gaining more speed records than any other manufacturer during its post-war production run. Yet at the age of just 47 in 1955 Philip Vincent had to watch his company crash out of the motorcycle market. His family fortune was exhausted in the pursuit of his dreams and his career never recovered. He passed away in West London in 1979 never to see another of his designs go in to production.
SUMMARY
SpeedisExpensive will bring this amazing story to the screen through the eyes of the
grandson Vincent never met – 26-year old Philip Vincent-Day. In his family’s storage, young Philip unearthed a treasure trove of 16 mm films showing his grandfather’s glamorous life of speed and international travel from the 1930s to the 1950s. To learn more about his grandfather, he talks to the racers who set records on the bikes, Vincent riders such as Jay Leno and the men and women who built them at the factory. Friends, family and his grandfather’s biographer help him discover whether Philip Vincent was, in the words of one who knew him, ‘an upper-class charlatan’ or ‘an engineering genius’ who re-wrote the rules of motorcycling.
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When the Vincent Company folded in 1955, they sold out to a firm called Harper Engineers, (who had to agree to supply parts to Vincent owners for the next ten years. The Vincent name, then went to Fritz Egli in Switzerland. Fritz Egli only wanted the engine parts- with the casting dies to make more of them. Thus the Egli-Vincent was born. ((A fellow in Britain won the lottery, and bought two of them.)
I met a fellow in Britain- back in ’65, who was riding a NORVIN, (A Vincent motor shoehorned into a Norton frame. I asked him how he liked it? He replied: “It runs fine- but I have to take the motor out of the frame to check the valve clearances.”
In 1969, I was pulling wrenches in a bikeshop, in Ottawa, Ontario.
I was told of a man in Ottawa who had a Vincent that was till in the crate. Given his name and phone number- I called him up, and he invited me to come and see it.
When I got to his home, he took me into his basement, and he had a lathe down there that was over 25 feet long!?!
I asked him- how on earth did he get that lathe in his basement?
He replied: “I had the basement poured- then a crane dropped the lathe in- then I had the house built over it.”
Then he showed me the Vincent- it was still strapped down on a pallet, (He had removed the back of the crate so one could see it- what a treat!)
Actually if I may . The Vincent name / moniker/brand unofficially went … three different directions including the Australian contingent .. along with a Russian individual who’s name also escapes me .. and an Asian American since passed who’s name escapes me as well . All of which are under legal contention to this day 5/25/2020
Whereas … Fritz Egli only had the use of the Moniker … Egli – Vincent …. as well as he passing on permission to Godet to use the name Godet Egli Vincent . e.g Fritz Egli never had nor ever made claim to owing the name / brand / moniker … Vincent .
Read Guyony’s book ” Vincent Motorcycles ; the untold story ” for in depth details
The Vincent name is still owned by David Holder, whose father Matt Holder (under his company Aerco Jig & Tools) purchased the name, along with Scott, Velocette, and Royal Enfield. David lost the rights to Royal Enfield to Enfield India in 1999, after that company began labeling its motorcycles ‘Royal Enfield’, which David challenged in court, and lost, as he does not trade under the Royal Enfield name – his business is under Velocette Motorcycle Company, housed at the old Triumph shipping warehouses in Meriden. I do believe he has successfully defended the Vincent name in recent years.
The American claimant to the Vincent name was Bernard Li, who died in an unfortunate accident not long after revealing a prototype of a new Honda V-4 powered ‘Vincent’ motorcycle. It was Li’s intention to produce a new engine for the project, but everything halted with his death in 2008. More here: https://www.cycleworld.com/2008/05/06/bernard-li-1946-2008-first-look/
Paul … late to the party … apologies … but … its my understanding that to this day the ” Vincent ” moniker ( in relation to M/C’s ) as well as the Black Lightening , Black Shadow etc names …
… are still and have been in deep contention going on more than a decade now … with no clear winner ( owner ) in site .
Every time someone makes final claim to the name .. at least two other parties chime in to contest it … with to date as stated …. no clear winner to be found . So though Mr Holder may indeed ‘ technically ‘ own the name ( or at least claim to own it ) he’s got at least three other parties ready to contest if Mr Holder should decide to bring Vincent M/C back into production …. or even try to merchandise the name logo
( damn it … I WANT a Vincent T and sweatshirt … heck … anybody and everybody wears a bloody Triumph or H-D t on stage )
Which is a damn shame ..( or maybe not ) in my never ever humble opinion
( musicians ? … me? … humble? Hah I say ! )
Suffice it to say … this whole who owns the Vincent moniker debacle in M/C history has become the ” Never Ending Story ” with no end in sight … proving once again that reality truly is stranger than fiction
Hmmm……………..
PS; Thanks for the Li reminder . A week after I posted the name came to me … FYI .. I’ve got that article saved from the original CW print issue in my notebooks
Rock On – Ride On – Remain Calm ( and safe ) and do please … Carry On … our ( yours and mine ) respective ages places a target the size of Alaska on our backs !
Paul d’O … any clue when this goram film will finally be available for purchase ( DVD or B-R ) … cause dang … it seems like an eternity since this was first announced along with the multiple incredible shorts that have appeared since … yet still … no completed film to wrap our grubby oily paws on . 😎
Sheesh … not be a whiner or anything … but this film is still in limbo … sigh
Begging the question … will it ever see the light of day ?
It’s March 31, 2022
Has the movie been released yet?
Would love to see it.
Not yet Nik!