Visitors can now see a luxury-class 1949 English Vincent HRD Series B Rapide Motorcycle and Continental Bullet Sports Side Car as the next in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s quarterly rotation of classic and concept cars–and now motorcycles! Designed by Phil Irving and Philip Vincent, the Vincent HRD is recognized as one of the first motorcycles to exhibit a definitive emphasis on visual design. Unlike many of the motorcycles that came before it, the Vincent HRD does not look like a souped-up bicycle created via an awkward, slap-dash assembly of parts. Rather, it is a sculptural, elegant, aggressively designed product of the machine age, as its various components have been thoughtfully integrated to improve functionality and overall aesthetics.

The Vincent HRD is shown with its streamlined, factory-option sidecar, the Continental Bullet Sports Side Car.

The Vincent HRD and the Continental Bullet Sports Side Car are both on loan from the Robert Atkins Collection.

Supporting the Cincinnati Art Museum’s renewed commitment to showcase art and design across multiple disciplines, this rotating display introduces visitors to industrial design and its place in the history of art.

Vincent HRD Series B Rapide, 1949
Vincent HRD Co., Ltd. (1928-1959), manufactory
Phil Irving (1903-1992), designer
Philip Vincent (1908-1982), designer
England (Stevenage)
Painted and chromium-plated metal, polished aluminum, rubber, leather seat and rubber tires
On loan from the Robert Atkins Collection, L8.2008: 1

Continental Bullet Sports Side Car, ca. 1949
Blacknell Motors, Ltd. (active ca. 1949), manufactory
England (Nottingham)
Wood, steel, polished aluminum, glass, leather seat and rubber tires
On loan from the Robert Atkins Collection, L8.2008:2