faced unusually high temperatures at the track that year. Big-end failures put an early end to the attempt but several records were achieved including the 6 Hours and 1000 Kilometres by a Black Shadow. One of the spare engines for the run at Montlhéry wound up in Vietnam. It was sold to an owner in the United States, who installed it in a Rapide frame. The bike changed hands several times before being bought by Herb Harris and restored to Black Shadow specifications. Vincent Black Shadow was showcased when it was ridden by Richard Hammond in a 2009 Top Gear Race to the North television programme, where the Vincent competed in a road trip against a similar-period Jaguar sports car and a Tornado steam train. See also List of motorcycles of the 1940s List of motorcycles of the 1950s References Further reading External links Motorcycles introduced in the 1940s Motorcycles powered by V engines Standard motorcycles Black Shadow