A unique 1951 Vincent Series C White Shadow led an auction of motorbikes at Bonhams Las Vegas.
It realised $434,500, beating an estimate of $350,000 by 29.5%.
 The lot is one of only 15 Vincent Series C White Shadows |
A rare variant of the famous Black Shadow, the lot is believed to be the only White Shadow ever issued with red paintwork.
Red was usually reserved for Rapide touring models, making this an exceptionally desirable lot.
The Series C in general is one of the best-loved vintage motorbikes of all time, as talk show host Jay Leno explained: "There's a wonderful 'mechanical-ness' to them; they are such quality machines.
"When you check the oil in a Vincent primary case, there's a beautiful aluminum knurled knob on the dipstick. It's overdesigned, way better than it needs to be.
"The general public ignored this kind of detailing because they could buy something cheaper. But today, the Vincent is considered a piece of art to be revered."
A 1955 Vincent Series D Black Prince was another highlight of the January 7 sale, with a final bid of $164,500.
The model was the last the marque produced and is considered by designer Philip Vincent to be his best work.
The extraordinary cost of production lost the company a huge amount of money and it went out of business in 1955.
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