As so often happens between the moment of jubilation and the later reality of day and the moment of financial and purchasing truth, there lay a broad and devastating gap. Vincent had committed himself, his company and their future to the new concept Vincents, the Series "D". While the engine room of this battleship remained almost unchanged, which was a good idea, the chassis, brakes, seat and more were all new to accommodate that most wondrous of shapes, the BLACK PRINCE and its tamer brother, the BLACK KNIGHT. For greater detail, read the article by PCV which I have attached to the images part of this description, below.

In 1954, Vincent built a test prototype, later christened a BLACK KNIGHT and Ted Davis became its works test rider over a sufficient period of development riding. The glasfibre (fiberglass) body was overall a very futuristic shape, compared in advertising to rocket ships of the imagination of the day. Yet, within the overall shape, the front mudguard for instance, one can spot the profile of a medieval knight's helmet!

Even better is the fact that this same bike is the one used by Phil Vincent to take to the world's launch of the Series "D" range in London in 1954 at Earls Court. To you, this means that your Prince has on it a multitude of specially chromed and polished fittings and fasteners for one. For another, some items specific to the "D" aren't the production pieces but had to be specially fabricated to complete this first bike in time for the Show. One such piece is the tall steering damper pedestal which shows a weld line where the extra height was added. Control levers are standard long ones, just ground down a bit to fit into the hand pods.

I noted too, that the inlet manifolds are highly polished aluminum, even though they are largely obscured by the bodywork. And speaking of the bodywork well, that is of course, the real story behind the Earls Court Show bikes. Books on Vincent generally delve into this tale as some blame the early bodywork with the subsequent closing of the factory.

It is a fascinating tale about the early boat company who Vincent contracted with to furnish the complicated glasfibre panels. They recount how the early examples, the few, including this set, had very inconsistent panels with some areas thick and some almost paper thin. Evidence of added material, I assume was done at the factory as a sort of repair, is still on the Show bike.

A further bodywork complication arose as the show bikes were being transported to the Earls Court show and the lorry transporting them ran off the road and into a ditch. The bikes were damaged and had to be rushed back to the factory for repairs.

In the case of the Black Prince, the repairs are still evident, for example, on the right side, inside the area below the headlamp. On all production examples, there is a nut evident on this flap of glasfibre to attach it to the underlying frame on the forks, but on this first one, they in effect added a pile of glasfibre, made of epoxy to secure it. It is still in place and there to see to this day.

This first Prince varies from later examples in other ways as well. Easily noticed is the difference in shape of the two hand muffs. Early photos also show the instrument panel to lack the aluminum surrounds for the various switches and gauges on it. It retains this unique variation today.

The last thing I noticed and the detail which for me confirmed the true identity of this example as the show bike and the one on which Phil Vincent posed for his photograph (shown below) is the unique gear indicator. This small piece, on the lower right, indicates the gear the bike is in by changing position. Well, this one has a different shape than any other I have seen and is clearly shown in the famous "rocket ship" poster still on occasion seen on Ebay announcing the introduction of the "D". The bend goes out, like they all do, but then as it continues, it finishes by bending back in to the vertical.

Surprisingly, this very important "D" was sent to the USA for retail sale where the document provided with it, being the original Missouri Certificate of Title to the original owner gives early 1956 as the date of sale. Your documentation of this fact is aided by the excerpt from Vol. 410, March, 1983, MPH, page 49, reproduced below telling of the original owner still having it almost thirty years later.

As acquired from an East Coast collection in 2001, the Earls Court Black Prince was in a somewhat neglected state. After the original owner ceased to own it and I don't know if he passed away, sold it to retire from riding or what, he sold it to a collector on the East Coast who rode it to Ohio and in so doing, damaged a bearing in the bottom end. Documents in the file show this. At the time, 1990's, now-famous Max Lambky replaced the bottom end bearing and related bits and the ECBP was repainted at the time it was disassembled for the engine work. Lambky, you might recall is periodically in the news as the builder/tuner of a twin-engined Vincent streamliner he annually runs at Bonneville, named by him, the "Black Lightning."

Anyway, after it was redone, it was brokered to a collector/software magnate in New Jersey who rode it until the battery fizzled. As with some other computer geniuses, things mechanical are a mystery. His collection, of which the Earls Court Black Prince was a part, consisted of Vincents with failed batteries, magnetos or clogged carburetors (or all of these things). Evidently, he rode each new acquisition until it stopped running and he then bought the next exciting Vincent on his list. I bought his collection as the collector was engaged in a very bitter divorce battle. Our records of its early condition, needs for repairs, adjustments and service go with the bike, but on review, show that all problems were usually simple and easily fixed. For instance, the carbs caused the bike to surge and we raised the needles which cured the running problem. The clutch was slipping as this is one of those occasional Vincents where with use, the primary chamber gradually fills with engine oil caused by crankcase pressure and when it rises to the level of the clutch, it oils it and slip results.

The paint had a coating of East Coast overspray-stuff that seems to fall out of the air and coats cars and bikes with little specs. Brakes were adjusted and with some miles, it quit jumping out of 4th gear. Notes showing exactly what was done still exist. They also show a visit by Club Series "D" Section Organizer, Hon. Dave Hills of Britain who examined the bike and confirmed it as a show finished bike and that the numbers were correct appearing. He was taken aback by the lack of alloy surrounds on the instrument panel until he saw the press photo of the show models confirming that it was original.

Lastly, although I rode it infrequently, the curse of owning far too many bikes, it continued to sweeten and it started, stopped and ran as it should. My guess is that it had not been ridden for many years. Most recently, I rode it to a vintage motorcycle rally in Central Texas at, what better place, Luckenbach, Texas. Waylon, Willie and the Boys had already left by the time we arrived, by some thirty years it seemed. On the run, I noted that it still has a tendency to fill the primary, but this is not severe and the same as the other couple of Vincents I have owned which did this. It cruised there and back home at 70 to 75 mph in surprising comfort for the eighty miles each way. It draws a crowd both on the road and when parked. One of 114 built, probably the only Black Prince in Texas, the first Black Prince ever built and the Earls Court example. Wonderful and well-documented history. I had a painter restore the British show registration number to it, both front and rear, PRI 998, though it is currently licensed in Texas.

Of particular importance are the certificates of title. Firstly, the motorcycle is sold to you on a current and valid, negotiable and clear TEXAS CERTIFICATE OF TITLE in my name. Next, as mentioned briefly above, finding another means of titling the bike in Texas other than by surrendering the original STATE OF MISSOURI, Certificate Of Title To A Motor Vehicle, dated Feb.16, 1956; I retained the original which accompanies the motorcycle. This is a particularly important document and one which most collectors surrender to get the new title and later regret it. And, a copy is just not quite the same thing as the original. In this case, the name and address of the original buyer are shown.

Documents in the file also give the buyer access to the next owner, a resident of Florida and details of the sale such as price, more details of the work done at that time on the bike and more. I don't believe that I have ever owned a Vincent motorcycle any better documented than the Earls Court Black Prince and whose history is better proven than this one.

The Vincent Owners' Club used to issue a CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY in the event sufficient evidence was given to do so. In this case, although factory records do not exist in the case of any Series "D" motorcycle, the Club was sufficiently satisfied to support the issuance of this Certificate and it accompanies this unique and historic example. The image of this is shown below.