
Vincent Mighty Mouse
Years: 1966 – 1966
Vincent built motorcycles that outran their era. With unitized engines as stressed members, cantilever rear suspension, and breathtaking performance, the Black Shadow and Lightning set standards in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Phil Irving’s engineering—compact, serviceable, and robust—made speed sustainable on real roads. Low volumes and rising costs ended production, but the legend grew: Vincents became talismans of ingenuity and bravery. Today they symbolize a time when radical thinking and impeccable machining could put road bikes beyond contemporary imagination, and when a British twin could feel like tomorrow parked beside yesterday.