The Ewan McGregor narrated documentary Speed is Expensive:The Philip Vincent Story  will be released On Digital & DVD in the UK & Ireland from September 25 and US digital/DVD Sep 26. Speed is Expensive brings to the screen one of the most dramatic stories in automotive history – the rise and fall of designer Philip Vincent.

His motorcycles set more speed records during the 1940s and 50s than any other manufacturer. Some models now sell for over $1 million and owners include Brad Pitt and Ryan Reynolds.

Yet when Vincent passed away in 1979, he was largely unrecognized, penniless, and living in council housing in West London. Hours of unearthed personal films and audio interviews join accounts from Vincent’s family and the men and women who worked with him to provide an intimate portrait of a flawed genius.

Director David Lancaster says: ‘It is wonderful to be able to bring the film to North America with Virgil Films. Over the past years we’ve crossed the globe, from the USA to Australia, to film the world’s most expensive, exciting and beautiful motorcycles and talk to Philip Vincent’s family and remaining colleagues in order to bring Vincent’s story to the screen’.‘

‘I am overjoyed at being able to share this story with everyone. It is an exciting and yet heartbreaking story,’ states Virgil CEO Joe Amodei.

Jay Leno says of the film, ‘It looks great: moving footage of Philip Vincent really brings the story alive – loved it!’Richard Hammond, formerly of Top Gear and now presenter of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour, says the documentary is…‘beautiful, moving – and wonderfully written.’Today, Philip Vincent is seen as nothing short of a genius – the man whose frame designs the Japanese industry would copy years later and whose Black Shadow model was the fastest motorcycle the public could buy for years after the factory shut its doors in 1955. In the words of Hunter S Thompson, ‘The 1000cc Vincent could outrun the F1-11 until take-off.’

We are delighted to join Lightbulb to bring Speed is Expensive to a wide audience. With hours of un-earthed family films, and audio recordings, the film is a very human story of a pioneer who is only now being recognized as the genius he was.” commented writer and Director, David Lancaster.

 

“When you meet David Lancaster, his passion to tell the amazing personal story of Philip Vincent is clear to see. We were eager to help him bring this fascinating feature-length documentary to UK & Ireland audiences. David and his team have done a fabulous job recounting the story of the man behind one of the fastest and most iconic vehicles in motorsport. The film has already been selected for numerous festivals and won awards around the globe, including most recently the prestigious Melbourne Documentary Film Festival” added Lightbulb’s Commercial Director, Matthew Kreuzer.