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.

[5] Between 1926 and 1929, Irving jointly owned and operated a motorcycle workshop in the regional town of Ballarat, Australia, with Ken Granter.

[7] 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.

Irving remained in UK until 1949 when he returned home to Australia, after the Vincent motorcycle business was put into receivership under Mr C E Baillie.

In 1952 a Vincent Lightning engine was acquired from British racing driver Ken Wharton and fitted by Irving to Reg Hunt's special racing car, which was similar to a Cooper called the ‘Flying Bedstead’, at Hunt's residence in Elsternwick Victoria with the assistance of Dick Boardman, a draftsman working with Irving, who was at the time Chief Engineer of the Chamberlain Group of companies, which included the Rolloy Piston Co.

With Irving and Boardman as pit assistants, the car's notable successes were fastest time of the day at the Rob Roy Hill climbs in 1952 and 1953.

It incorporated some 'off-the-'shelf' technology such as Vincent valve inspection caps[15] and BSA 500cc Gold Star cam profiles.

Owners Club and continued in that role until the death of Phil Vincent in 1979 when he rose to President (an honorary title).

[17] Irving was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's 1976 New Year Honours List for his "services to automotive engineering".

[18] In later life, Irving lived permanently in Australia based at Warrandyte, on the outskirts of Melbourne, where he had a small workshop.