Family History

Back to Denis Minett.


Denis MINETT & Vincent Motor Cycles


ca. late 1946/1947
"Inevitably, some replies to Elton's appeal for staff (Vincent Motor Cycles) came in almost too late for consideration, but two deserved special treatment. One was Denis Minett, who had been a well known rider of Nortons at Brooklands, but had been injured in a fall in South Australia and then spent the war years in England with an aircraft firm; in fact he was a member of the Institution of Aeronautical Engineers, but wanted to get back to two wheels. We could only take him on temporarily as a tester, to which he agreed, but when the factory was reorganised he was put in charge of engine assembly."
[pg.357 - 'Phil Irving - An Autobiography' - publ. 1992 by Turton & Armstrong, Australia.]

ca. 1948
"The engine would be a Black Shadow with a manual control for the magneto, but otherwise standard, and would be built by Denis Minett, who was now in charge of the Shadow assembly line."
[pg.377 - 'Phil Irving - An Autobiography' - publ. 1992 by Turton & Armstrong, Australia.]
 

Denis Minett & Black Lightning

 Denis on  Rollie Frees Black Lightning Vincent around 1951,Rollie
set a lot of world records on this Vincent at Bonneville , USA.1952.
 
[Photo courtesy of Paul Wilkins author of  'The Vincent H.R.D. story in South Australia'. publ.1994 ISBN 0646228846]
 


Sven Kallin was a retailer located in Adelaide, South Australia.

[Photos courtesy of Paul Wilkins]
 


Of note is "Denis Minett's Notebook, an excellent journal from the man who was in charge of the Special Engine Dept." [www.racingvincent.co.uk]