Phil Irving

Philip E Irving
Phil Irving on the 1949 prototype 'Vindian', an American rolling chassis fitted with an English Vincent Rapide engine
Died	1992 (1993) (aged 89)
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Engineer, designer
Known for	Velocette and Vincent motorcycle engineering

Philip Edward Irving MBE, C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E., M.S.A.E., (1903–1992) was an Australian engineer and author, most famous for the Repco-BrabhamFormula One and Vincent motorcycle engines. He also designed Velocette motorcycles and drew the engine of the 1960 EMC 125cc racer.

Irving was the son of a medical doctor who had a 600 square-mile practice in Western Victoria which he travelled around using a Swift car and two motorcycles, a belt-drive Triumph and a four-cylinder FN. Due to a lack of local repair facilities, Dr. Irving performed all the maintenance at home.

After three years attendance at Wesley College, Phil Irving obtained a scholarship to Melbourne Technical College studying a diploma course in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering where he designed and partially made his first engine, a small air-cooled two-stroke. He didn't finish the course or the engine, leaving early on the strength of his college studies and accomplishments to take his first job.

Irving's first engineering job started in 1922 working for the Australian engineer Anthony Michell at the firm of Crankless Engines Ltd in Fitzroy, Victoria. At the firm worked under both Michell and engineer T.L. Sherman. Irving said: "It was the greatest stroke of luck imaginable that I started work under two such eminent men...".

Between 1926 and 1929 Irving jointly owned and operated a motorcycle workshop in the regional town of Ballarat, Australia with Ken Granter. As the economic climate harshened in 1929 business at the shop slumped and it was forced to close. A historic plaque commemorates the former location of the workshop at 28 Doveton Street, Ballarat in Victoria.

In 1930, he left Australia and travelled to Britain as pillion passenger and mechanic to John Gill, a Scottish engineer, on the return-leg of Gill's World motorcycle and sidecar journey from UK to Australia and back, using a 600 cc sidevalve engined Vincent HRD, giving press-exposure to the business.