S111 1954 VINCENT BLACK SHADOW SERIES C This 1954 Black Shadow is a Series C and was restored to such a high level that the seller never even started it. As he recalls, “When Somer Hooker was brokering a project Shadow, I went for it. My first stop was to Dick Busby, a well-known Vincent expert in SoCal, to persuade him to take it on as a restoration, and he agreed, but he had been diagnosed with cancer at the time and didn’t make it past more than the early stages of the restoration before he passed away. Fortunately for me, Dick’s business partner, Haig Alltunian, agreed to take over the project and announced that he was going to make this as nearly perfect a restoration as he could to honor his deceased partner and friend. “I have entered the bike in several shows where it has won several firsts in class and one best of show, but the bike looked so nice that I didn’t want to run it, knowing that if I did, it would never look this nice again. Instead, it has sat in my living room ever since. As a result, the engine has never been started, so if someone ever wanted to buy a brand-new Vincent Black Shadow, this bike is as close to that as they are likely to ever see.” NO RESERVE Purchased in 2001, this Shadow, wearing Frame No. RC11850B and Engine No. F10AB/1B/9950, has received two best of shows. Powered by the signature twin-cylinder, 1000cc engine and 4-speed transmission, the bike shows just 2 miles on its odometer. The Black Shadow Series C has long been regarded as the world’s first superbike, and understandably so. For the era, the bike was such a leap forward—it was powerful and very fast, but it also delivered a riding experience like no other, thanks to the ingenious engineering of its chassis. Many joked that the Black Shadow was a first-class ticket to your own demise, but what a great way to go. Author Hunter S. Thompson once wrote of the Black Shadow, “… if you rode the Vincent Black Shadow at top speed for any length of time, you would almost certainly die. That is why there are not many life members of the Vincent Black Shadow Society.” Exceedingly rare, this example, having been ultra-restored and never used, is an astonishing opportunity. THE BOB & DOLVA MITCHELL COLLECTION
