Baja Auto reported to have purchased the "Vincent" Name and Brand.

[highbury731]

No, it had three crank throws. It's a normal 'boxer' engine, but having two crank throws and two con-rods on the outside of the first one, enabling a boxer engine with the two cylinders in line with each other.

Many years ago I read of a fanatic Citroen specialist who made special engines for 2CVs. They were flat 3 engines, with one normal cylinder and two small ones opposite, of half the piston area and having their big ends in line with each other. It was based on a similar idea to the ABC engine, eliminating the boxer twin rocking couple. I wish I could remember the name of the man making these special engines.
The ABC engine had a similar idea, but better because it used two narrow big ends and conrods to eliminate the problem without the complication of tiny cylinders. Also, there's a simpler way of dealing with it - fit a Citroen GS or Ami Super flat four engine. There have been a few Deuche built like that. There was a yellow one in 'The Spy Who Loved Me'.

 

[bmetcalf]

Very interesting!

 

[BigEd]

Not much here to do with buyers of the Vincent name, maybe time to start a new thread for unusual engine configurations.

 

[Doug68]

I've forgotten the full story behind the bike below, was an American who died part way into the project, then it all stopped with less than 10 of these made?
It doesn't look very "Vincent" to me, but about as good as you're going to get to with a Honda engine in it.

Yamaha made the best Norvin replica with the SRV250

I think the new owners would have a much better chance of making a decent Norvin replica rather than a straight Vincent, but who knows what if anything they will do.

 

[vibrac]

Here is what I gleaned to put in my book "The Vincent Black Shadow"
In 1994 Bernard Li an American millionaire wanted to develop a new Vincent. He intended to use the Vincent name and fit a Honda RC51 V twin or another V twin power plant. In spite of being quoted by the press as in the spirit of the Black Shadow, it was really never going to be another Black Shadow, but more an American Harley Davidson type cruiser. Black Lightning and Black Eagle were names floated and a few prototypes were built. Sadly, Bernard Li was killed in a motorcycle accident in Arizona. Thus ending another dream that sought to capitalise on the Black Shadow legend.
Judging by those pictures above ( I have never seen before) it does look as if in reality it would have been a more reasonable bike than I expected its a pity about the 'conventional' rear suspension. perhaps judging by the new gold star a new Vincent will be closer to the original but the clutter and demands of the environment will mean the clarity of the original design must be lost. It all reminds me of those Edwardian cars trying to look like horse drawn carriages

 

[highbury731]

A road version of the Britten V-1100 would have been far more in the spirit of the Vincent twin than the Bernard Li creation

 

[stu spalding]

If someone came up with a bike worthy of the name "Vincent", they would put their own name on it, as did John Britten, rather than try some cheap-shot marketing ploy. Cheers, Stu.

A road version of the Britten V-1100