Vincent's life explored: New documentary narrated by Ewan McGregor to appear in September

A new documentary exploring the history of Vincent Motorcycles and narrated by A-list film star Ewan McGregor will be available to stream from September 2023.

Speed is Expensive will appear on Amazon, Sky Store, AppleTV, and Google Play from 25 September for viewers in the UK and Ireland, telling the story of the British motorcycle brand’s founder and designer, Philip Vincent.

“We are delighted to join Lightbulb [Film Distribution] to bring Speed is Expensive to a wide audience,” Writer and Director, David Lancaster said. “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 recognised as the genius he was.”

Vincent’s motorcycles took more speed records in the 1940s and 1950s than any other brand – eclipsing 150mph and the American motorcycle land speed record with Rollie Free in 1948.

Classic models are now incredibly sought after, selling for six figures. However, when Philip passed away in 1979, he did so penniless and living on a West London council estate.

“[David Lancaster’s] passion to tell the amazing personal story of Philip Vincent is clear to see,” Lightbulb’s Commercial Director, Matthew Kreuzer said. “We were eager to help him bring this fascinating feature-length documentary to UK and 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.”

The film also contains interviews and insights from the likes of talk show host Jay Leno, Paul Simonon of the band The Clash, and the late Formula One and multiple Grand Prix world champion, John Surtees.

What’s more, a £12.99 collector’s edition DVD including a 24-page booklet, and more than an hour of additional footage will also be available to purchase from the same date.