Vincent Black Shadow Vincent Black Shadow Motorcycles produced by Vincent H·R·D at their factory in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England were renowned for their design innovation, engineering excellence and high performance. Already advertising their existing 110 mph Rapide machine as ‘The world’s fastest production motorcycle’, in February 1948 the distinctive Vincent Black Shadow was announced with a top speed of 125 mph. Built in three different Series over the course of its life, the line continued until 1955, after which the company stopped all motorcycle production. The Black Shadow uses a version of the air-cooled four-stroke 50° V-twin engine that powers the Vincent Rapide. Bore
Black Prince (rocket) Black Prince (rocket) Black Prince was a proposed British-led satellite expendable launch system. It would have made heavy use of the preceding Blue Streak missile and the Black Knight test rocket development programmes, as well as some new elements, to produce a British-built launcher capable of deploying medium-sized payloads into orbit. Popularly known as the Black Prince due to its assigned rainbow code, in official documentation, the platform was referred to as the "Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle" (BSSLV). The Black Prince originated from various ballistic missile programmes that were being conducted by the United Kingdom during the 1950s. As