Vincent Black Shadow to the new specifications. The prototype Black Shadow had engine number F10AB/1B/558 in frame R2549, and was completed on 16 February 1948. The bike was road tested by Charles Markham in Motor Cycling May 1948, during which test the bike was reported to have reached . The Black Shadow was officially introduced at the 1948 Motorcycle Show at Earls Court in London. The Black Shadows were built with the same labour-intensive hand-fitting of bearings and major engine parts that Vincent had used prior to the war. Official records say that 1774 Vincent Black Shadows were made. Vincent also built 15
Black Prince (rocket) further development of the platform. The Black Prince itself has its origins in a proposed design was put forward by Desmond King-Hele and Doreen Gilmour of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) during 1957. As envisioned by this proposal, a expendable launch system could be developed using a mix of preexisting and in-development assets; the multi-stage launcher was to be formed of a Blue Streak first stage, a Black Knight (or Black Arrow) second stage, and a military solid rocket as a third stage. The proposal, which subsequently became widely known as the "Black Prince", quickly attracted the attention of a