Vincent
Vincent was a British manufacturer of motorcycles in the United Kingdom from 1928 to 1955. The Vincent HRD Black Shadow is one of the best known high performance motorcycles of the 1950s. In 1955 the company discontinued motorcycle production due to heavy financial losses.
Black Shadow
There has been more stories, folklore, and exaggerations said about the legendary Black Shadow than nearly any other motorcycle. The design was radical, and performance was even more so, and the only modern machine to compare it with would be the Britten. The ability to cruise at three figure speeds and with a maximum often exceeding 125 mph put this motorcycle far ahead of anything else available at the time.
HRD Rapide
The Vincent H.R.D.'s were built to a specification, not a price, and were fast, expensive and very exclusive. Every enthusiast's dream was to own a Rapide or Black Shadow, the only machines that could cruise close to 100mph which was incredible performance in 1948.
HRD Comet
The Comet was a less expensive, affordable alternative to the big twins such as the Rapid and Black Shadow. It was often referred to as "Half a Vincent", but it still had the desirable mile eating capabilities of its bigger brothers. A racing version was also available on a limited basis, the Grey Flash, which helped to publicize the model.