Vincent/HRD have become a classic status symbol, the 'Rolls-Royce' of motorcycles. Due to the innovative design and scrupulous attention given to the manufacture of the bike, this marque stands on it's own. Philip Conrad Vincent trained as an engineer at Cambridge University and made his first bike in 1927. In 1928 Vincent bought the name of HRD motors, the company of Howard Davies the TT winner which had gone under, to give his motorcycles credibility. The V-twin came as a result of chief engineer Phillip Ervine's design in 1936 and the rest is history indeed. Production finally ceased at the Stevenage factory in 1955, but the legend lives on, as most modern motorcycles sport rear suspension based on the early Vincent designs.

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HRD
1948 1000cc
Blueshadow

Vincent
1950 1000cc
Rapide

Vincent
1951 500cc
Comet
 

Vincent Comet 1948-54, 499cc, ohv single, 400lb, 60mpg, 85mph
The single is rumored to have been half of the famous twin which this bike preceded. It has a Burman gearbox and many common chassis parts to the 1000. A very nice bike but although reasonably smooth it is lacking the overall power.

Vincent Rapide, Shadow, Black Prince 1950-55, 998cc, ohv V-twin, 460lb, 50mpg, 120mph
The Rolls Royce of motorcycles which demands an exceptionally high price. The Rapide being the tourer and the Shadow the sportster. The tourer was the fully enclosed Black Prince. Capable of modern day motorway travel in a manner that many of it’s contemporaries are not.