From the archive

Vincent went to break records to sell bikes

Here is a great photograph from May, 1952. It shows the Vincent team around a Vincent 998cc Black Shadow at the Montlhery circuit, France. They were there to attempt several speed records, in an attempt to market the small British manufacturer.

Despite initial work, the Black Shadow refused to gain the record they had wanted; the 24 hours at more than 100mph, due to mechanical issues. But they did succeed in eight records, including the six hours at more than a constant 100mph.

The Black Shadow nowadays lives in the shadow of the Black Lightning, the ultrarare racing-spec machine, born of an idea between Vincent’s Phil Irving and one of their dealers, a certain Jack Surtees. With lots of magnesium to shave weight, hotter cams with higher lift and longer duration, polished internals, ported heads and racing Amal 10TT9 carbs, the Lightning made around 70bhp and, crucially, weighed more than 35kg (77lb) less than the road-going Shadow.

But unless you were a racer, and a wealthy one at that, you couldn’t buy a Lightning. And even if you could, it wasn’t a road bike. So, in 1952 those eight records were set on the bike you could walk into a dealers and buy – the Black Shadow. Which obviously would have never benefited from any knowledge or parts from the Lightning…

The bike above sold at auction in 2013 for £113,500; at the time a record for the sale of a motorcycle. It was beaten in

2018, when another record breaker sold for £651,715. It was also a Vincent.