My Rapide basket case is a never-ending source of wonder, because it was never a bike - just a stash of parts accumulated over the years by a friend, now passed, in the hope of building one. So the parts came from various bikes, years and series (B & C at least), and some have been modified.
I'm moving towards assembling the crankshaft in its case, so pulled out the front engine plates FT23/2 which I'd had nicely refinished. On closer examination, they seemed a bit odd. While they're clearly Vincent FT23 plates (holes in the right sizes and locations), it turns out they have no extension at the front, with notch, for the attachment of the magneto cowl.
It crossed my mind that these might be Genuine Black Lightning Racing Plates, the Lightning not having a cowl, and so worth many thousands. But no, the Lightning simply omitted the plates altogether - as did the Meteor, also without a cowl.
So, where did these come from? Anyone aware of this modification ever being sold? Or it may just have been a one-off, carved up by someone who wanted to keep the front stands but dispense with the magneto cowl - and objected to the ungainly forward projections and notches.
I'm moving towards assembling the crankshaft in its case, so pulled out the front engine plates FT23/2 which I'd had nicely refinished. On closer examination, they seemed a bit odd. While they're clearly Vincent FT23 plates (holes in the right sizes and locations), it turns out they have no extension at the front, with notch, for the attachment of the magneto cowl.
It crossed my mind that these might be Genuine Black Lightning Racing Plates, the Lightning not having a cowl, and so worth many thousands. But no, the Lightning simply omitted the plates altogether - as did the Meteor, also without a cowl.
So, where did these come from? Anyone aware of this modification ever being sold? Or it may just have been a one-off, carved up by someone who wanted to keep the front stands but dispense with the magneto cowl - and objected to the ungainly forward projections and notches.