Post Listing Update: This Amanda did not get any action at the opening bid of $5,500 on eBay.
If you’ve always wanted an add a Vincent to your collection but the prices didn’t agree with your wallet, this will probably be the cheapest way for you to get a Vincent runner in your garage. Only problem is, it doesn’t have wheels!
Meet the Vincent Amanda, an interesting (if brief) footnote in the history of one of the greatest motorcycle manufacturers of all time. When Vincent was struggling to make ends meet in the 50s, they tried to diversify their portfolio with other products such as a lawnmower and the Amanda, what they called a personal water scooter. It’s one of the earliest examples of a PWC (personal watercraft).
The original Amanda was powered by a 75cc two-stroke motor, though 100cc and 200cc options were later made available. Unfortunately, the bodywork was fiberglass and Vincent wasn’t particularly experienced with the material at the time. Over time, the bodywork would distort when exposed to the sun – a bad characteristic for something you’d want to use on the water when the weather was nice. For more information on the Amanda (including photos of one at the Barber Museum), check out Just A Car Guy.
You probably wouldn’t guess from the photos, but this example (VIN: 2973) is said to float and run. It’s packing the 100cc motor, which produced a claimed 2.1 horsepower and 4.4 lb/ft of torque. It’s said to be original and unrestored, and the seller backs up his claims of floating and running with these videos:
Look at it go!
Find this Amanda for sale in Plainfield, New Hampshire with an unmet opening bid of $5,500 here on eBay.
