The world’s only Vincent Museum

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Our British friend David Lancaster, journalist and great connoisseur of Vincent Motorcycles brought back from Germany this amazing report in exclusivity for Southsiders.
Merçi David



Hidden treasures in a small town in Germany
By David Lancaster

When British espionage writer John Le Carré entitled his 1968 novel A Small Town in Germany, he was describing Bonn, hometown of Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of West Germany after World War II. Chosen by him to be the unlikely capital of the nation in 1949, Bonn became a byword for post-war conformity: ‘Even the flies are official,’ Le Carré writes, in this ‘waiting house for Berlin’.

Yet behind the ordered driveways, manicured lawns and flower boxes of Germany’s small towns, can lie hidden gems. In Niederwetz, near Wetzlar, lies the world’s only museum devoted to Vincents. There's a few Vincent collections - but this is a museum, open by appointment.



Schloss Vincent is the work of over 50 years of collecting, riding and restoring by owner Kurt Schupp, aided by his friend and associate Manfred Kinne. In addition to the major, and some of the ultra rare models to issue from Stevenage, it also boasts a beguiling section recreating the office Philip Vincent worked from at his Stevenage factory. Command and control of the small firm.



The genesis of the collection lies in Kurt’s sighting of two Vincents at a late 1950s Elephant Rally (a snow-bound festival, held in deepest winter, in deepest Germany). He was smitten, but Vincents were rare in Germany. Then in 1960, he heard of perhaps the rarest of them all, for sale, in Berlin: a Black Lightning, the stock 140mph race version of the Black Shadow. He recalls approaching his bank for a loan: ‘”For that money,” they told me, “you can buy a car.” But I didn’t want a car – I wanted a Vincent!’ And there began a 50-odd year love affair with the marque.



Across the engagingly cramped museum, there is a wealth of bikes, including a Grey Flash, the Black Lightning, Comets, Shadows, Rapides, and two very beautiful Egli-Vincents. One is the well-known twin engine model, now re-manufactured with Egli’s blessing by Frenchman Patrick Godet (www.godet-motorcycles.com); the other, a rare 500cc model.




Kurt and Manfred got a tip about a frame or two being ‘possibly for sale’ by Egli, and motored to Switzerland that week to make the purchase. A 500cc Egli-Vincent is the last Vincent to enter a FIM Grand Prix - practicing, and qualifying well for the 1971 Isle of Mann Senior TT, but not competing due to weather delays. Builder was UK Egli-Vincent importer, builder and tuner Roger Slater, rider was Ron Wittich.




A disassembled Rapide is wall mounted along the showrooms and corridors - nut, bolt, spark plug, bearing, engine case and cycle part. A smattering of ice-speedway machines are on show, too. There’s NSUs, another favoured marque of Kurt’s. Some of his first memories are of being driven in the family sidecar – his father ran a motorcycle shop - to major post-war German race meetings, at which the NSUs were dominant. By the 1950s he was riding a 250 NSU on the road, and smitten with fast motorcycles.



Kurt and Manfred Kinne met in the 70s - ‘He could speak better English than me, so I thought he’d be useful with British bikes’, says Kurt – and the collection continued to grow. Both were instrumental in creating a golden period (there’s always one, isn’t there?) for the museum. From the mid 70s to early 90s, Schloss Vincent played host to regular German Vincent Owners Club German rallies. This was before prices for Vincents rocketed out of many people’s reach, and perhaps a more eccentric, egalitarian ownership profile prevailed.

Key Vincent personnel such as Phil Vincent’s widow Elfreda, factory manager and author Paul Richardson, and chief designer Phil Irving, were not only alive and well – but often at the German rallies held in the grounds of Schloss Vincent. A thriving local motorcycle scene would mean British moto-tourists finding themselves sharing a beer with one or two of the above, joined by luminaries such as multi-world sidecar champions Klaus Enders and passenger Ralf Engelhard and eccentric bike builder Friedel Munch. In other words, the kind of scene you really only appreciate years after it’s past.







If the bikes are impressive, it is the ‘office’ in the museum that really beguiles. The typewriter, wall charts, pictures, drawing board, works drawings and a host of other paraphernalia are either original Stevenage stock or Vincent’s personal items. A map pin-points the company’s impressive roster of European agents. A 1928 sketch of the proposed ‘Southport’ model, shows Phillip Vincent’s V-twin plans pre-dating the 1930s. Most charming of all is the lovingly re-created snow-capped painting of the view of Stevenage High Street, as seen from Vincent’s office desk.



Le Carré said: ‘A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world…’ Maybe. But for Philip Vincent, for a few years parallel with the Cold War Le Carré chronicles, his bikes were the fastest, most revered and most expensive on offer. And his desk must have been a rather fine place from which to view the world.


Words and Pictures © David Lancaster, 2012

Open by appointment
Lindenbachstraße 13
Schöffengrund-Niederwetz 35641
Germany
Phone: +49 6445 5402
Fax: +49 6445 7890


Alan Lancaster on his Black Prince, about to leave a German VOC rally, late 1970s




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National museum of Scotland

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My friend Gilles from Biarritz just send me these few pictures he took during his last trip to Scotland at the National Museum of Scotland.
I take the occasion to make a brief post on a couple of Scottish stars never forgotten.

Jackie Stewart

Sir John Young "Jackie" Stewart, OBE (born 11 June, 1939 in Milton, West Dunbartonshire), better known as Jackie, and nicknamed The Flying Scot, is a Scottish former racing driver. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am. He is well-known in the United States as a color commentator of racing television broadcasts, and as a spokesman for Ford, where his Scottish accent made him a distinctive presence. Between 1997 and 1999, in partnership with his son, Paul, he was team principal of the Stewart Grand Prix Formula One racing team.

The Tyrell P34

otherwise known as the 'six-wheeler,' was a Formula One race car designed by Derek Gardner, Tyrrell's chief designer, as a response to new regulations due to come into force in 1976. The car used specially manufactured 10-inch diameter wheels and tyres at the front with two ordinary sized wheels at the back. The idea of the smaller front tyres was to increase air penetration and have a smaller 'frontal area' which would reduce drag.
However, smaller diameter tyres would have resulted in a loss of contact area between the rubber and the tarmac surface of the track and hence poorer mechanical grip for cornering. To remedy this, the P34 was given four 10-inch front wheels. Thanks to a complex suspension design, all four front wheels could be steered.

Jim Clark

James "Jim" (or "Jimmy") Clark, Jr. OBE (4 March 1936 – 7 April 1968) was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland.
He was the dominant driver of his era, winning two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965. At the time of his death, he had won more Grand Prix races (25) and achieved more Grand Prix pole positions (33) than any other driver. He also competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, and won it once, in 1965.
The Times recently placed Clark at the top of a list of the greatest Formula One drivers.

Bob McIntyre

Robert MacGregor McIntyre (28 November 1928 Scotstoun, Glasgow - 15 August 1962) was a Scottish motorcycle racer famous for five motorcycle Grand Prix wins which included three wins at the Isle of Man TT Races, and four victories in the North West 200. McIntyre died nine days after injuries sustained racing at Oulton Park, Cheshire in August 1962.
He entered competition in 1948 on his only transport, an Ariel Red Hunter, and was soon competing in off-road scrambles. After a few seasons he began road racing, but the roads were not always well surfaced. Bob rode a BSA at Balado Airfield near Kinross. The concrete track had patches of loose gravel, and Bob won three of the four races he entered.

... And Dolly

Dolly (5 July 1996 – 14 February 2003) was a female domestic sheep remarkable in being the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer. She was cloned by Ian Wilmut, Keith Campbell and colleagues at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh in Scotland. She was born on 5 July 1996 and she lived until the age of six.[3] She has been called "the world's most famous sheep" by sources including BBC News and Scientific American.



Gilles Asenjo is the President of Surfrider Foundation Europe



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WILLY NEUTKENS BMW MOTORCYCLE COLLECTION

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WILLY NEUTKENS BMW MOTORCYCLE COLLECTION 100% SOLD

Our Reporter, great fan of the brand Yves J Hayat was there, he is a "gourmand" and I think he took his Beemwee dose ...
here the link to the photo report he made for us during the auction and the Museum visit
thanks Y

the Gallery

A packed audience of over 1,000 people in the fabulous surroundings of the BMW Museum in Munich, Germany, witnessed a total sell out auction of the Willy Neutkens Collection of BMW Motorcycles on Saturday 28 November, 2009.


The Collection comprised 94 Lots (91 motorcycles; an Ural side-car; a BMW stationary engine; and a wooden model) and carried a pre-sale estimate of € 590,000 – 780,000. By the time the last lot was knocked down, the auction totalled a premium inclusive € 1,038,400 (£944,191), with 100% sold by lot and by value.


Customers from across the world participated in the sale, with many making the pilgrimage to the home of BMW to attend in person. Bidders came from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, USA and Hong Kong, with many going on to buy some of the exceptional motorcycles on offer.
A clear highlight of the sale was the1924 BMW 493cc R32 (Lot 40) which was at the heart of a five way bidding battle between three continents, eventually realising € 109,250 against a pre-sale estimate of € 33,000 – 45,000.
Bids also came from the BMW Museum, host of today's sale, which secured the Ex-Works ISDT 1953 BMW 594cc R67/2 – Lot 76 - for € 26,450 (estimate € 19,000 - 22,000). This historic competition machine beautifully complements the other motorcycles in their own impressive collection.


One of the sale's most emotional and charming purchases involved a lady bidder who secured the 1982 BMW 649cc R65LS (Lot 23) for € 2,530. Having bought the motorcycle when it was new – proceeding to cover an incredible 170,000km over 14 years on Continental tours – she was delighted to be reunited with it so many years later.

In all, over 320 customers had registered to bid, making this one of the most successful sales for the Bonhams motorcycle department.
Malcolm Barber, Bonhams CEO and auctioneer on the day commented, "The BMW archivists, directors and management team at the Museum worked closely with our company following instructions from the Neutkens family to market and offer their collection for sale. The combined strengths of our respective companies ensured full marketing, an informative catalogue and a perfect setting to obtain this fabulous result."


Fred Jakobs, BMW's Archivist for motorcycles at the museum commented, "I was delighted with the outcome of today's sale, it was a pleasure for my company to work closely with Bonhams, they presented a first class auction. We too were delighted to have acquired the Ex-Works, ISDT, 1953 BMW R67/2BMW for our collection. It has come home and will be on display here at the museum next year it is the grandfather of our Enduro bikes".



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Ride to McGehee Catfish Restaurant Part 1

It was Saturday 8-29-2009 as I backed out my garage in Bedford Texas and was on my way with a sense of adventure gleaming n my eye. I had my IPod Nano playing 615 songs randomly through my Ink’d earphones. I glanced at the Yamaha V-Stars’ trip odometer and I only had 34 miles on this tank. No need to stop for gas before leaving, I thought to myself. The ambient temperature thermometer mounted on my handlebars read 80 degrees Fahrenheit and felt nice and cool as I rode away. I was leaving on my motorcycle ride to Marietta Oklahoma and specifically to McGehee Catfish Restaurant for lunch.

On my head I was wearing a cotton dew rag under my HJC Helmet, and my Oakley sunglasses. I had on a pair of blue jeans, a full sleeve cotton shirt, (with the sleeves pushed up over my elbows), my black leather FMC vest, and my Bates boots. I decided to use the crumby FieldSheer gloves; I might as well get as much use out of them as I can, before they completely fall apart. This trip I also remembered to coat all exposed surface areas with 45 SPF sun-screen, so as not to become a sacrifice to the sun gods this trip. For the record I should have re-applied before riding home, my face and nose did get some red.

For personal protection I had my Springfield XD .40 Subcompact in a C-TAC holster inside my right waistband, my Kel-Tec P3AT .380 in my left vest inside upper pocket, and my Kershaw Leek pocket knife in my left front pocket. Too bad I didn’t have room for my Smith and Wesson Boot Knife in these Bates boots, oh well. I had my phone, a Palm Treo, in my right vest pocket and along with a pair of compact reading glasses stashed away with my P3AT it allowed me to post updates of my ride on Twitter. In a pinch I could also throw it at an attacker, or just throw it like I’ve wanted to do on occasion. I wondered; does this vest make me look fat? I probably looked like a cross between one of the characters in the movie Wild Hogs and one of the personalities from the TV show Sons of Anarchy.

I hopped on 121 Southbound, hung a right onto 183 West continued onto 820 West before turning north on I35 W. Before long I was passing Texas Motor Speedway on the left and then the University of North Texas on the right. I was in Denton. I decided to stop and get a drink and refuel Mistress. I topped off the tank with unleaded, downed a Red Bull, texted my wife and was off heading north on I35 again.

I was making good time traveling at ~~ mph. I did manage to keep it under triple digits, barely. There were a lot of other motorcyclists out going the opposite direction and I tried to wave or acknowledge them all. I was passed by someone with Oklahoma plates in a hurry to get home, so I tucked right in behind them. You will be pleased to know that I did see one Texas State Trooper en-rout to Oklahoma. Fortunately, everyone had slowed down with the tell tale brake lights warning everyone. He was parked off the right shoulder down in a ditch or culvert and there was an 18 wheeler between us anyway. Before I knew it I was on the bridge going over the Red River and passing a large Welcome to Oklahoma sign on my right. Casino anyone?

It wasn’t much longer and I had arrived at exit 32 and was in Marietta. It is about 100 miles from my house to Marietta and the ride took around an hour and a half. I pulled into the McDonalds, parked and went in to get something to drink. I sat down and enjoyed an iced coffee with caramel while I texted my wife, got to check in with the boss, and checked my phones Google Maps GPS and indeed I was exactly where I thought I was. After that it was time to take a short tour through town.

I drove through downtown Marietta and tried not to blink so as not to miss it. Then I came back around coming down a side street and saw a museum. I had time to kill so I stopped in. It turned out it was the Love County Historical Society Pioneer Museum. They had an interesting mix of antiques, historical records and photos all dealing with Marietta and Love County. The volunteer on duty went out of his way to tell me some of the history of Marietta, including some interesting stories and strange characters as well as pointed out items of historical interest. After some time of browsing, visiting, and emailing my wife photos of some of the antique quilts it was time to leave.

I had asked directions to McGehee Catfish Restaurant to make sure I was headed in the right direction and decided to take a ride out there to scout it out even though they were not open for lunch yet. So I continued heading west and turned south on US77 which parallels I35 and then east on E2150 / McGehee RD which dead ends at the restaurant. Most of the Google Maps are incorrect, unless you look for the one that says Airport: McGehee Catfish Restaurant; the restaurant is at the dead end, not in the city of Marietta itself.

The restaurant scouted out I rode back to the town and walked around several stores to kill time until they opened for lunch at 1:00pm. After drinking a Monster energy drink at the Carl Jr.’s, texting my wife again, and browsing some of the local stores, I filled Mistress up at the Valero and headed back to McGehee’s noting that it had gotten a lot warmer, hot in fact, outside. A glance at the temperature reading showed it was now in the mid 90’s.


Ride on,
Torch

WHEELS THROUGH TIME 2009 KNUCKLEHEAD RAFFLE

WHEELS THROUGH TIME 2009 KNUCKLEHEAD RAFFLE-- This is a great offer for a worthwhile cause…. The 7th Annual Raffle will be held November 2009 For This 1947 Harley-Davidson FL-74in. Knucklehead Or $20,000.00



The Wheels Through Time Museum, a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit corporation, will be conducting their 7th Annual Museum Raffle in November of 2009.

The annual event started seven years ago during the opening week of the museum in its newly relocated home in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Raffle tickets are available now for a $10.00 donation for one or purchase 7 tickets for $50.00 and receive a free Wheels Through Time Museum T-Shirt. All proceeds from the raffle will be used to create new exhibits, enhance museum displays, and help keep us... "The Museum That Runs."

To purchase raffle ticket(s), mail your name, address, and good phone # to the below address, with appropriate payment amount and shirt size if applicable:
Wheels Through Time Museum Annual Raffle
P.O. Box 790
Maggie Valley, NC 28751

Or you can charge tickets online! If you are charging tickets online, you agree to have your entry information transferred by hand to a raffle ticket that will be added to the pot.

If you've purchased seven or more tickets you qualify for a free T-Shirt from the Wheels Through Time Museum. You will be asked one size on your order form. The T-Shirt(s) will be sent to the billing address unless a shipping address is specified.


(This article is reproduced from http://www.bikernet.com/news/newsarch.asp?Article=031309-3 )