Vincent Black Lightning Vincent Black Lightning The Vincent Black Lightning was a Vincent-HRD motorcycle first built in September 1948 at the Vincent works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK, and produced from 1948 to 1952. The bike was a purpose-built factory modified Black Shadow that was then named and produced as the Black Lightning. At the time the Black Lightning was the fastest production motorcycle in the world. Vincent-HRD began motorcycle production in 1928 and were well established after World War II when they launched the Black Lightning. This was a production version of the Black Lightning which held the motorcycle land-speed
Black Prince (rocket) Aerospace author C.N Hill wrote that this declaration had been made: "Mainly, I suspect, to minimise the political damage that ensued from the [Blue Streak] decision". The 1957 concept design for a combined Blue Streak-Black Knight launcher was put forward once again, and this time received a favourable appraisal; the project was assigned the rainbow code of "Black Prince". In official documentation, the platform was referred to as the "Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle" (BSSLV). The development of Black Prince was driven by the conjunction of the RAE and two private firms, aerospace manufacturer Saunders Roe and engine firm Bristol