1955 Vincent Black Prince
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Baujahr1955
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MotorradtypStreet
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Kilometerstand54 450 mi / 87 629 km
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ChassisnummerFF401.63858.5
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MotornummerFF401.63858.5
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ZustandGebraucht
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FarbeSchwarz
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Markenfarbeblack
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Standort
Beschreibung
Phil Vincent decided to build motorcycles in his 20's and had already designed his own cantilever rear suspension arm
He purchased the trademark, goodwill and remaining components of HRD for £450 in 1928 and from now onward Vincents' name was listed above the HRD name on the tank
After the second war, and with a keen eye on exports, manufacturers were encouraged to sell abroad to boost the economy, and Vincent looked at the America's, naturally
Indeed so well acknowledged were the motorcycles by then, the Vincent Black Shadow or racing version the Lightning, were acknowledged as the Fastest Bikes on the Road
While the Vincent Black Lightning shares its lineage with the Shadow, which Hunter S. Thompson immortalized in his 1971 novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it's a legend in its own right
One such modified Black Shadow was used on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1948 and the swimming trunk clad rider, Rollie Free, took her to 150mph - an astonishing figure back in those days
These chaps we so brave and hearty and Rollie richly deserves his name in the record books
Back to the bikes again, built between 1948 and 1952, the Lightning was the racing version of the Shadow, and it was the fastest production motorcycle of its era, as mentioned above
Vincent built fewer than three dozen Lightnings, and of those, 19 matching-numbers examples survive
For the record, the most expensive Motorcycle sold in Auction was one such Black Lightning, in immaculate condition - the Holy Grail one could say
Bonhams clacked the gavel down in January 2018 and with premium she rocketed to $929.000
Following on from the Shadow, Vincent wanted to produce the "2 wheeled Bentley" so he developed and then launched in 1954 The Black Prince with an all new aerodynamic body kit to cloth his existing 998cc V twin engine and suspension
Only around 132 were ever produced when production ended in December 1955 when the Company folded
Our example is already a World Record Holder for she was hammered down by Bonhams (again) at £91.100 in June 2014 ........... only on this ocassion she was just a box of bits (she pictures in the gallery)
After only 5 intervening years she is Factory Fresh, and really a joy to behold
I really like the 150mph speedometer ........... although not sure I would like to copy Rollie's exploits
The well known BTCC Race Engineer Mick Cook tackled restoration the job single handed, and really I can't describe to you how magnificent a job he has crafted
Probably the best you could find, one would suggest and priced well below the cost of the restoration
More a piece of Art than a mere Motorcycle, I would suggest she would look as good in an office foyer as in a Motor House sitting next to an 'R' Type Continental