A ‘barn find’ 1949 998cc Vincent-HRD White Shadow Series-C project beat the pre-sale estimate by more than £100,000 when it went under the hammer for £163,900 (including premium) at the Bonhams’ Spring Stafford Sale on Sunday, April 23.
The term ‘White Shadow’ applies to the few Black Shadow-spec machines that left the Stevenage factory without the normal black-finished engine casings, and these machines were distinguished by ‘1A’ engine number prefixes (Vincent Rapides were ‘1’ and Black Shadows ‘1B’).
Acquired by the vendor in March 1973, KOD 476 boasts an old-style continuation logbook recording one previous owner, who’d registered it in May 1957, details of the Vincent’s prior owners not being known.
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The machine was ridden mostly by the vendor’s father, who was a lifelong motorcyclist who’d never experienced the joys of riding a Vinnie, but sadly he died in 1975, and by the following year the White Shadow had been put into storage, where it remained for almost 40 years.
At the Bonhams’ sale, lots of interest was also shown in the 1948 ex-Freddie Frith Velocette KTT Mk.VIII works special that won the 1949 350cc FIM World Championship.
Read more in the May issue of OBM – on sale now!
