CAPTAIN SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL'S BLUEBIRD LAND SPEED RECORDS Malcolm Campbell was a shareholder in Brooklands and very active in the running of the track, designing the Campbell road racing circuit within the confines of the site, which was used from its opening on 1st may 1937 to the outbreak of war. Throughout this period he was very active in all classes of racing at Brooklands driving a 1ï¿½ litre Talbot, several Bugattis and the ex-Benoist straight eight supercharged G.P. Delage which was at the height of its fame in 1928 after numerous 1927 Grand Prix victories by its sister cars. In this car he dominated the 1928 200 Mile Race on 21st July, winning by 12 mins. 12 secs. at an average speed of 78.34 m.p.h. For American auto racing, the Depression was a bleak period of little money and few races. But followers of the sport had something else to hold their attention - the continuing quest for the world land speed record.

Some great names in American racing had held the record - Barney Oldfield, Ralph DePalma, Tommy Milton, even Henry Ford . But one man, an Englishman named Malcolm Campbell, seemed to capture the imagination of the entire world. It may have been the fact that he broke the record on nine occasions between 1924 and 1935, but more likely it was his later cars, all exotic and streamlined, and all named " Bluebird ," that somehow provided both excitement and hope for the future in a world turned upside down by the economy and the long slow path toward another disastrous war . The 27 foot long 4.75 ton Daytona Blue Bird with Rolls Royce engine THE FUTURE Any form of electric vehicle is better than petrol or diesel, but an electric vehicle that can refuel in a few minutes will obviously have much more customer appeal than an EV that has to wait 30 minutes or even hours to charge up. Battery technology is improving daily. A car with the new generation of battery cartridge exchange built in and the ability to load its own cartridge, will encourage energy companies to build service forecourts.

The Blueplanet BE3 LSR Team would be pleased to advise any energy company interested in this technology and of course any vehicle manufacturer who might be considering whether or not to include a future proof system into their next generation of road cars. REID RAILTON Reid Antony Railton was the son of a Manchester stockbroker. Reid was born in Chorley, Alderley Edge, Cheshire and was Christened on 13 August 1895 at the local parish church. He was educated at Rugby School and Manchester University. He joined Leyland Motors in 1917 where he worked with J.G. Parry-Thomas on the Leyland Eight luxury car. He left in 1922 to set up the Arab Motor Company where he was chief designer. Only about twelve cars were built, of which two low-chassis cars survive. One is in the Isle of Man and the other one (Chassis number 6, engine number 10, registration UW 2) is now in Austria having been rebuilt and rebodied by David Barker in the early 1990s.

In 1927, on the death of his friend Parry-Thomas , Railton closed the Arab factory and moved to Brooklands working for Thomson & Taylor becoming their Technical Director with responsibility for John Cobb's 1933 Napier Railton car which took the Outer Circuit record in 1933 and Sir Malcolm Campbell's Bluebird Land Speed Record cars of 1931 to 1935. His greatest achievements were probably designing the Railton Mobil Special car with which John Cobb set the Land Speed Record at 394.7 mph (635.2 km/h) in 1947 and designing the E.R.A. racing cars built in 1933-1934 at Thompson & Taylors at Brooklands. He also tuned the Hudson chassis used on the Railton car, named after him. As well as cars he designed high speed boats including the jet-powered Crusader in which John Cobb was killed in 1952 while travelling in excess of 200 mph (322 km/h) attempting to break the Water Speed Record . In 1939 he moved to California to work for the Hall-Scott Motor Company.

He died in Berkeley, California, in 1977 at the age of 82. CAMPBELL-NAPIER-RAILTON BLUE BIRD After Henry Segrave's Golden Arrow , clearly a more powerful engine was required for Blue Bird, with a chassis and transmission to handle it. A supercharged Napier Lion VIID was used, with over three times the power of the previous Blue Bird and a large premium over Golden Arrow's un-supercharged 900 hp (670 kW) Lion VIIA. This was not the first use of supercharging for Land Speed Record cars, but was the first combining supercharging with the large displacement aero engines that had previously been relied upon for their gross output. Golden Arrow's innovative vertical aerodynamic stabilising fin was also used, a first for Campbell. Campbell's nemesis, Segrave, was killed in an attempt on the water speed record while Campbell was scouting for new record courses in South Africa. On his return, Campbell set off for Daytona with the new Blue Bird, concerned at American challenges to the record. Segrave had, after all, at least been British.

On 5 February 1931 he pushed the record to 246 mph (396 km/h), to great popular acclaim. On his return he learned he was to be knighted as Sir Malcolm Campbell. A year later he returned and pushed through to 251 mph (404 km/h). This record stood for another year, until he himself broke it with his next car, the next Rolls-Royce-engined 1933 Blue Bird . A Hudson-Railton saloon (1937) and Sir Malcolm's Bentley at a museum in Cumbria CAMPBELL-RAILTON BLUE BIRD (ROLLS ROYCE) His previous Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird of 1931 was rebuilt significantly. The overall layout and the simple twin deep chassis rails remained, but little else. The bodywork remained similar, with the narrow body, the tombstone radiator grille and the semi-spatted wheels, but the mechanics were new. Most significantly, a larger, heavier and considerably more powerful Rolls-Royce R V12 engine replaced the old Napier Lion, again with supercharger.

This required two prominent "knuckles" atop the bodywork, to cover the V12 engine's camboxes. 1933 Blue Bird's first run was back at Daytona, setting a record of 272 miles per hour (438 km/h) on 22 February 1933. Campbell now had a car with all the power that he could want, but no way to use all of it. Wheelspin was a problem, losing perhaps 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) from the top speed. Drag from the air needed to be reduced and grip on the sand increased. 1935 Visually the car was quite different. The bodywork was now rectangular in cross section and spanned the full width over the wheels . Although actually higher, this increased width gave the impression of a much lower and sleeker car, accentuated by the long stabilising tailfin and the purposeful raised ridges over the engine camboxes. This Blue Bird was clearly a design of the Modernist '30s, not the brute heroism of the '20s. Mechanically the changes to the car had focussed on improving the traction, rather than increasing the already generous power.

Double wheels and tyres were fitted to the rear axle, to improve grip. The final drive was also split into separate drives to each side. This reduced the load on each drive, allowed the driver position to be lowered, but required the wheelbase to be shortened asymmetrically on one side by 1ï¿½"(37 mm). Airbrakes were fitted, actuated by a large air cylinder. For extra streamlining the radiator air intake could be closed by a movable flap, for a brief period during the record itself. Blue Bird made its first record runs back on Daytona Beach in early 1935. On 7 March 1935 Campbell improved his record to 276.82 mph (445.5 kph), but the unevenness of the sand caused a loss of grip and he knew the car was capable of more. The faster car needed a bigger and smoother arena, and this led to the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah . This time the young Donald Campbell accompanied his father. On 3 September 1935, the 300 mph barrier fell by a bare mile-per-hour, crowning Sir Malcolm Campbell's record-breaking career.

THE MALCOLM CAMPBELL HERITAGE TRUST (MCHT) You can see from the scans of what appears to be a 'Declaration of Trust' dated the 16th of October 2001, that the original Trustees of the MCHT were: 1. Peter John Hulme, New Barn, Tokens Farm, Loxwood, West Sussex. 2. Malcolm Brian Hulme, 17 Norman Avenue, Twickenham, Middlesex. 3. Donald Charles Wales , 11 Weston Avenue, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 1UW. 4. Georgina Campbell , Birkby Grange Farm, Carr Lane, Thorner, Leeds, LS14 3HG. 5. Jean Dorothy Wales, Orchard Lodge, Oakhurst Lane, Loxwood, West Sussex. For more information of this Trust, click on the document extract above.

Gina Campbellcampbell bluebird boats, bluebird K4, bluebird K7, campbell K4, Campbell K7, malcolm campbell's boat, donald campbell's boat, campbell bluebird boats, Contact Boats Malcolm Campbell set the water speed record four times, his highest speed being 141.740 mph (228.108 km/h) in the Bluebird K4. (He developed and tested Bluebird on Tilgate Lake, Crawley.) He set the record on 19 August 1939 on Coniston Water, England. Donald Campbell began his own water speed record attempts using his father’s old boat Bluebird K4, but after a structural failure at 170 mph (270 km/h) on Coniston Water, Lancashire in 1951, and the death of John Cobb, who was killed in 1952 trying to break the water speed record, he decided that he would develop a new boat.

Designed by Ken and Lew Norris, the Bluebird K7 was an all-metal jet-propelled 3-point hydroplane with a Metropolitan-Vickers Beryl jet engine producing 3,500 lbf (16 kN) of thrust. (Depicted above in Arthur Benjamins’ painting.) It was unveiled in late 1954 and taken, in January 1955, to Ullswater in the Lake District for its initial trials. After many problems and a number of modifications to K7, Campbell finally succeeded on Ullswater on 23 July 1955, where he set a record of 202.15 mph (324 km/h), beating the previous record by some 24 mph (39 km/h) held by Stanley Sayres. The name “K7″ was derived from its Lloyd’s unlimited rating registration. It was carried in a prominent circular badge on its sponsons, underneath an infinity symbol. You can follow the chronology of the boats on the Timeline created by Gina’s cousin, Sir Malcolm’s grandson, Don Wales.

Campbell set a total of seven world water speed records in K7 between 1955 and 1964. The series of speed increases—216 mph (348 km/h) later in 1955, 225 mph (362 km/h) in 1956, 239 mph (385 km/h) in 1957, 248 mph (399 km/h) in 1958, 260 mph (420 km/h) in 1959—peaked on 31 December 1964 at Dumbleyung Lake in Western Australia, when he reached 276.33 mph (444.71 km/h); he remains the world’s most prolific breaker of water speed records. Campbell was awarded the CBE in January 1957 for his water speed record breaking, and in particular for his record at Lake Mead in the USA.

Sir Malcom Campbell's grandson takes The Bluebird back to Pendine Sands | Daily Mail Online Next The Bluebird rides again: Sir Malcolm Campbell's grandson takes iconic car back onto the sands where he broke the land speed record 90 years ago today Sir Malcolm Campbell set a land speed record at Pendine Sands in Wales after hitting more than 150mph in 1925 The 350hp Sunbeam Bluebird is now kept at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire Sir Malcolm's grandson Don Wales recreated the historic moment at a more sedate walking speed List of Bluebird record-breaking vehicles : Wikis (The Full Wiki) Blue Bird or Bluebird is the name of various cars and boats used by Sir Malcolm Campbell , his son Donald and other family members to set land and water speed records . Origins of the name The name Blue Bird was originally inspired by the play of that name by Maurice Maeterlinck , [1] and the vehicles were painted a shade of pale blue.

Malcolm Campbell had a succession of Darracq racing cars in the 1920s, which in the fashion of the day he had named ' Flapper I' , 'Flapper II' and 'Flapper III' . It was 'Flapper III' which he re-named after seeing the play, famously and impetuously knocking up a paint shop owner at night, so as to purchase blue paint before racing at Brooklands the following day. [2 ] In 1925, he also raced an Itala at Brooklands with the name 'The Blue Bird' painted on the bonnet. [3] Bluebird or Blue Bird? Malcolm Campbell named them "Blue Bird", Donald "Bluebird". The hydroplane K4 began life as Malcolm's "Blue Bird", but when Donald decided to use her in 1949, after his father's death, he re-named her "Bluebird". [2 ] Cars CAMPBELL RAILTON ROLLS ROYCE BLUE BIRD V WORLD LAND SPEED RECORD CAR The Reid Railton designed Blue Bird of Malcolm Campbell visits Daytona in 1931. This car features the Napier Lion aircraft engine.

The Campbell-Railton Blue Bird was a land speed record car commissioned by Malcolm Campbell the Napier Lion engined Blue Bird had reached the end of its performance life. Clearly Captain Campbell needed a more powerful engine to make his next Blue Bird competitive, with a chassis and transmission to handle it. A Rolls Royce R Merlin engine was used. The Campbell-Railton Blue Bird was Sir Malcolm Campbell's final land speed record car. His previous Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird of 1931 was rebuilt significantly. The overall layout and the simple twin deep chassis rails remained, but little else. The bodywork remained similar, with the narrow body, the tombstone radiator grille and the semi-spatted wheels, but the mechanics were new. Most significantly, a larger, heavier and considerably more powerful Rolls-Royce R V12 engine replaced the old Napier Lion, again with supercharger. This required two prominent "knuckles" atop the bodywork, to cover the V12 engine's camboxes.

The Napier Lion W12 aero engine (left) that was superceded with a Rolls Royce R Merlin engine (right) 1933 Blue Bird's first run was back at Daytona, setting a record of 272 miles per hour (438 km/h) on 22 February 1933. Campbell now had a car with all the power that he could want, but no way to use all of it. Wheelspin was a problem, losing perhaps 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) from the top speed. 1935 Visually the car was quite different. The bodywork was now rectangular in cross section and spanned the full width over the wheels. Although actually higher, this increased width gave the impression of a much lower and sleeker car, accentuated by the long stabilising tailfin and the purposeful raised ridges over the engine camboxes. This Blue Bird was clearly a design of the Modernist '30s, not the brute heroism of the '20s. Mechanically the changes to the car had focussed on improving the traction, rather than increasing the already generous power.

Double wheels and tyres were fitted to the rear axle, to improve grip. The final drive was also split into separate drives to each side. This reduced the load on each drive, allowed the driver position to be lowered, but required the wheelbase to be shortened asymmetrically on one side by 1ï¿½"(37 mm). Airbrakes were fitted, actuated by a large air cylinder. For extra streamlining the radiator air intake could be closed by a movable flap, for a brief period during the record itself. Blue Bird made its first record runs back on Daytona Beach in early 1935. On 7 March 1935 Campbell improved his record to 276.82 mph (445.5 kph), but the unevenness of the sand caused a loss of grip and he knew the car was capable of more. The faster car needed a bigger and smoother arena, and this led to the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. This time the young Donald Campbell accompanied his father. On 3 September 1935, the 300 mph barrier fell by a bare mile-per-hour, crowning Sir Malcolm Campbell's record-breaking career.

There is a replica in the Campbell gallery at the Lakeland Motor Museum , England. The original is located at Daytona speedway circuit Museum. 2013 LAND SPEED RECORD DISPLAY BEAULIEU UK The Blue Bird V joined the Bluebird CN7 already on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, following their first ever display together in the UK at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. This is only the second time in the vehicleï¿½s history that Blue Bird V has crossed the Atlantic from its home at the Daytona International Speedway to the UK, giving visitors to Beaulieu an incredibly rare opportunity to see this magnificent motoring icon on display alongside other Land Speed Record Breakers. It joins the Bluebird CN7, driven by Sir Malcom Campbellï¿½s son, Donald , to a land speed record of 403.10mph at Lake Eyre, Australia in 1964.

Beaulieu Commercial Director, Stephen Munn, is quoted as saying: ï¿½Beaulieu has been home to Donald Campbellï¿½s Bluebird CN7 since the 1960s, so it is wonderful to finally see his fatherï¿½s most famous Land Speed Record Breaker, the Blue Bird V, displayed alongside it in the museum. To see these legendary vehicles together is an unforgettable experience, and we hope that by having them on display, they will inspire a whole new young generation and reignite the interest in land speed record breaking.ï¿½ Visitors to Beaulieu can also see Major Henry Segraveï¿½s Sunbeam 1000hp which he drove to a record-breaking speed of 203.793mph at Daytona Beach in 1927. This incredible Blue Bird display will only be on show for a few months, as the Blue Bird V will be making its return journey across the Atlantic at the end of November, so do not miss this amazing opportunity to view these Blue Birds together. A cutaway drawing of the immediate RR engined Blue Bird and the 1935 Daytona update below.

Sir Malcolm Campbell, and later his son Donald, used R engines from 1931 to 1951. At Sir Malcolm's knighthood ceremony in February 1931, King George V expressed great interest in the R and asked many questions about its fuel consumption and performance. In 1932, Campbell stated that he "... was fortunate in procuring a special R.R. Schneider Trophy engine" for his land speed record car to replace its Napier Lion. Lent to him by Rolls-Royce, this engine was either R25 or R31. By February 1933 the car, named Blue Bird had been rebuilt to accommodate the larger engine and was running at Daytona. In late 1933 Campbell bought engine R37 from Rolls-Royce; and had also been lent R17 and R19 by Lord Wakefield, and R39 by Rolls-Royce. He then lent R17 to George Eyston. Once he had achieved the 300 mph (480 km/h) record on 3 September 1935 at the Bonneville Speedway, Campbell retired from further land speed endeavours.

INSPIRATION - The blue bird legend lives on: The exquisite lines of the Blueplanet LSR were inspired by Reid Railton and his classic designs for the Napier Lion and Rolls Royce engined Blue Bird LSR cars in the 1930s, the Blueplanet BE3 features instant battery recharging using the patent Bluebirdï¿½ cartridge exchange system under license from BMS . This LSR car is also solar assisted. She is designed for speeds in excess of 350mph using clean electricity and could be run at Daytona Beach , Pendine Sands and other historic venues, including Bonneville . To hire the BE3 for your event, please contact BMS and ask for Leslie or Terry. The project team need at least 3 months advance notice of venues. CAPTAIN SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL AND HIS BLUEBIRD LAND WATER SPEED RECORD VEHICLES SPEED ACES BIOGRAPHY MAJOR Malcolm Campbell was born in Chislehurst, Kent, England in 1885. He was the son of a diamond merchant. He attended the independent Uppingham School. In Germany, learning the diamond trade, he gained an interest in motorbikes and races.

Returning to England, he worked for two years at Lloyd's of London for no pay, then for another year at one pound a week. Between 1906 and 1908, he won all three London to Lakes End Trials (motorbike races). In 1910 he began racing cars at Brooklands. What a glorious time to live in. After an early interest in bicycling and motorcycles, in 1910 he purchased his first car, a "Darracq" which he christened "Bluebird" (a name that he used for all is subsequent record cars and presumably because it made him feel happy). Along with other models, he raced this car at the legendary motor racing circuit, Brooklands . When the war started he was drafted into the Royal Flying Corps, having had some flying experience at Brooklands in various aircraft including one he had constructed himself, and he spent his time ferrying aircraft back and forth across the English Channel . In 1918 he published a very small but amusing book entitled ï¿½Hints to Beginners on Flyingï¿½ in which he recounted his stories as Lt. M. Campbell, subsequently to be promoted to and known as Captain Campbell.

In 1921 one Kennelm Lee Guinness (inventor of the K.L.G. spark plug) drove a V-12 Sunbeam down the Brooklands Railway Straight at 135 mph, entering the finishing straight at 140 mph. During practice on the 16th May 1922 KLG was timed by friends on the Railway Straight at 144 mph and on the following day in windy conditions he clocked an official 140.51 mph one way to take a new Brooklands lap record of 123.39 mph along with several other speed records over various distances. This Sunbeam was subsequently bought by Malcolm Campbell for a price which has never been disclosed, which after a refurbishment he painted it blue , named it Bluebird and took to the Fanoe Island speed trials in Denmark where although it recorded a speed of 146.4 mph, which was never internationally recognised, even though the timing apparatus had been properly certified.

Campbell however, was not a man to be easily defeated and after a lot of expensive tuning work and several abortive outings he took the car to Pendine Sands in September 1924 where he recorded an official two-way kilometre of 146.16 mph, 0.015 of a second faster that Eldridge's previous record set in a Fiat at Arpajon in France. Immediately afterwards he put the car up for sale for ï¿½1,500 but then relented and decided to spend some more time on it when he learned that Parry Thomas was about to make a serious attempt to take his record from him in the ex-Zborowski re-bodied Higham Special which Thomas had renamed Babs. Back at Pendine on 21st July 1925 Campbell lifted his record to 150.766 mph becoming the first driver to exceed 150 mph. To commemorate this he had some large scale models of the Sunbeam built, at least two of which are known to have survived. This car is on display at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England.

The following year Henry Segrave took Campbell's record and a knighthood in Sunbeam's monster twin-engined red 1,000 hp car which was also seen briefly at Brooklands driven by Henry in a wet but spectacular demonstration run. For the next ten years Campbell was to press on with another car, the Napier-Campbell which eventually took the land speed record at Utah in 1935 at 301.13 mph earning him his own long awaited knighthood. This car was rebuilt with newer and bigger engines on two separate occasions by Thomson & Taylor's and its full story is a testament to Campbellï¿½s sheer gritty determination to succeed at almost any cost. Left: Campbell at Pendine in 1930- Right: Railton's Bluebird 1931 - 1933 Daytona Beach Throughout this period Campbell was very active in all classes of racing at Brooklands driving a 1ï¿½ litre Talbot, several Bugattis and the ex-Benoist straight eight supercharged G.P. Delage which was at the height of its fame in 1928 after numerous 1927 Grand Prix victories by its sister cars.

In this car he dominated the 1928 200 Mile Race on 21st July, winning by 12 mins. 12 secs. at an average speed of 78.34 m.p.h. Malcolm Campbell was a shareholder in Brooklands and very active in the running of the track, designing the Campbell road racing circuit within the confines of the site, which was used from its opening on 1st may 1937 to the outbreak of war. 1927 When first built, the car used a Napier Lion engine of around 500 bhp. It was of conventional form with a front-mounted vertical radiator and the driver behind the engine. The three banks of the W-12 engine were hidden behind bulges in the narrow bonnet, with exhaust stub pipes protruding. Bluebird's first record attempt was on 4 February 1927 at Pendine Sands.

A peak speed of 195 mph (314 km/h) was achieved, tantalisingly close to the magic 200 mph (320 km/h), but the two-way average recorded for the record itself was lower at 174.883 mph (281.45 km/h). 1928 The 1927 record was short-lived, as Segrave's Sunbeam 1000 hp achieved both the 180 mph and 200 mph targets a month later. This prompted Campbell to rebuild the car as 'Blue Bird III' for 1928. He persuaded the Air Ministry to allow him a Schneider Trophy -tuned "Sprint" engine, as fitted to the Supermarine S.5 seaplane , of 900 hp (670 kW). Improved aerodynamics were innovatively tested in Vickers' wind-tunnel by R.K. Pierson, their Chief Designer. Blue Birdï¿½s body shape was substantially changed, with the famous coachbuilders Mulliner producing the bodywork. The results were unorthodox.

A vertical tail fin was added for stability, a first for Blue Bird and land speed record cars. Open spats behind the wheels also reduced drag. The biggest change was to the radiators, which were moved to the rear of the car and mounted externally. These surface radiators were made by Fairey Aviation and contained 2,400 ft (730 m) of tube. Removing the nose radiator allowed a low, rounded nose with better streamlining. However, one French newspaper compared its looks to a whale. Following Segrave to Daytona Beach, on 19 February 1928 Campbell took the record at 206.956 mph (333.063 km/h), breaking the 200 mph barrier for his first time. Once again though he only held the record for a couple of months, losing it by a whisker to Ray Keech and the White Triplex . 1929 Campbell sought a more predictable venue than a tidal beach, so he set off to survey possible sites by air. Africa showed promise, first at a site a mere 600 miles from Timbuctu and so impractically inaccessible.

A dry lake bed in South Africa, the Verneukpan, was still 450 miles (720 km) from Cape Town but did have some chance of access. Blue Bird was rebuilt for a third time. The chassis, engine and drivetrain remained the same, but the bodywork was replaced with one built in Dumfries by Arrol-Aster. This body was lower, requiring a hump around the cockpit where Campbell now sat astride the gearbox. The surface radiators were replaced by a conventional circular nose opening, covered by a distinctive 'birdcage' grille. Unfortunately, after a period of five years of no rainfall, it poured down almost as soon as they arrived. Campbell returned to Cape Town, where on his 44th birthday he learnt that Henry Segrave at Daytona Beach had set a new record in Golden Arrow at 231.44 mph (372.47 km/h). Blue Bird was unable to match this at the African altitude and climate, but he made the best use of the long course and set the world 5 mile and 10 mile records at 212 mph (341 km/h).

After Segrave had raised the record in Golden Arrow by a whole 30 mph (48 km/h) though, Campbell knew that Blue Bird was beaten and began work on a new car, the Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird. The Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird was a land speed record car driven by Malcolm Campbell. After Henry Segrave's Golden Arrow, clearly a more powerful engine was required for Blue Bird, with a chassis and transmission to handle it. A supercharged Napier Lion VIID was used, with over three times the power of the previous Blue Bird and a large premium over Golden Arrow's unsupercharged 900 hp (670 kW) Lion VIIA. This was the first use of supercharging for Land Speed Record cars. Golden Arrow's innovative vertical aerodynamic stabilising fin was also used, a first for Campbell. Campbell's nemesis Segrave was killed in an attempt on the water speed record while Campbell was scouting for new record courses in South Africa. On his return, Campbell set off for Daytona with the new Blue Bird, concerned at American challenges to the record. Segrave had, after all, at least been British.

On 5 February 1931 he pushed the record to 246 mph (396 km/h), to great popular acclaim. On his return he learned he was to be knighted as Sir Malcolm Campbell. A year later he returned and pushed through to 251 mph (404 km/h). This record stood for another year, until he himself broke it with his next car, the next Rolls-Royce -engined 1933 Blue Bird. The Campbell-Railton Blue Bird was Sir Malcolm Campbell's final land speed record car. His previous Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird of 1931 was rebuilt significantly. The overall layout and the simple twin deep chassis rails remained, but little else. The bodywork remained similar, with the narrow body, the tombstone radiator grille and the semi-spatted wheels, but the mechanics were new. Most significantly, a larger, heavier and considerably more powerful Rolls-Royce R V12 engine replaced the old Napier Lion, again with supercharger. This required two prominent "knuckles" atop the bodywork, to cover the V12 engine's camboxes.

Malcolm Campbell had ties with Vauxhall 1933 Blue Bird's first run was back at Daytona , setting a record of 272 miles per hour (438 km/h) on 22 February 1933. Campbell now had a car with all the power that he could want, but no way to use all of it. Wheelspin was a problem, losing perhaps 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) from the top speed. 1935 Visually the car was quite different. The bodywork was now rectangular in cross section and spanned the full width over the wheels. Although actually higher, this increased width gave the impression of a much lower and sleeker car, accentuated by the long stabilising tailfin and the purposeful raised ridges over the engine camboxes. This Blue Bird was clearly a design of the Modernist '30s, not the brute heroism of the '20s. Mechanically the changes to the car had focussed on improving the traction, rather than increasing the already generous power. Double wheels and tyres were fitted to the rear axle, to improve grip. The final drive was also split into separate drives to each side.

This reduced the load on each drive, allowed the driver position to be lowered, but required the wheelbase to be shortened asymmetrically on one side by 1ï¿½"(37 mm). Airbrakes were fitted, actuated by a large air cylinder. For extra streamlining the radiator air intake could be closed by a movable flap, for a brief period during the record itself. Blue Bird made its first record runs back on Daytona Beach in early 1935. On 7 March 1935 Campbell improved his record to 276.82 mph (445.5 kph), but the unevenness of the sand caused a loss of grip and he knew the car was capable of more. The faster car needed a bigger and smoother arena, and this led to the Bonneville Salt Flats of Utah. This time the young Donald Campbell accompanied his father. On 3 September 1935, the 300 mph barrier fell by a bare mile-per-hour, crowning Sir Malcolm Campbell's record-breaking career.

Malcolm Campbell died after a long illness in 1949 at the age of 64 and was succeeded by his son Donald who continued the record breaking tradition, breaking 400 m.p.h. in the turbine powered Bluebird CN7 which now resides in Lord Montaguï¿½s National Motor Museum at Beaulieu . His Grandson Don Wales is a world record contender in the electric vehicle category. When Sir Malcolm Campbell was the provost company commander of the 56th London Division, Home Defence Force, he designed and then built the prototype of the Dodge armoured car which was unofficially known as the "Malcolm Campbell" car. Seventy of these were built by Briggs Motor Bodies of Dagenham and were ready by the end of August 1940. To increase the firepower of these cars and trucks, the Home Guard would often fit captured German machine-guns from crashed bombers to their vehicles, the only problem being fresh supplies of ammunition! Some units managed to get hold of a few World War I 6pdr tank guns and fitted them to the Malcolm Campbell cars.

DUNLOP BLOTTER PROMOTIONS - This example was destined for Kerry Bros, of Conway Terrace, Llanwrst, a small town nestled in the Conwy Valley alongside the banks of the River Conwy in North Wales. There's no business of that name existing in Llanwrst now, although Conwy Terrace is still listed. The closest match find in the RAC Handbook (1959 issue) is for Jones Bros, of Kerry Garage. Is this the same company? A copy of the Handbook for 1928/1929 mentions Jones & Wight, of Central Garage, but nothing else, although of course Kerry Bros could have been there, but not running with RAC accreditation. Sir Malcolm Campbell was born in 1885, and gained fame thanks to his numerous speed record attempts, on both land and water, in a variety of machines. The first vehicles were called Blue Bird, later simplified to Bluebird. An account of Malcolm Campbell's 1927 Blue Bird is recalled in a contemporary issue of The Nelson Lee Library.

Malcolm's taste for speed began in 1906 when he started competing in town-to-town motorcycle races, before switching to four-wheeled automobile races at Brooklands in 1910. Following WW1 he continued his high-speed exploits, capturing the land speed record in 1924 on Pendine Sands in South Wales, the first of nine speed records he'd claim over the following eleven years. Campbell was knighted in 1931, suggesting that the blotter above, which makes no mention of a title, pre-dates that occasion.ï¿½ SUMMARY and EXTERNAL LINKS: Sir Malcolm Campbell (born March 11, 1885 in Chiselhurst, Kent, England - died December 31, 1948) gained the world speed record on Land and on Water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Bluebird. His son, Donald Campbell , was killed, attempting to repeat his achievements thirty years later.

On September 3, 1935 Malcolm Campbell reached 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 MPH. He also competed in Grand Prix motor racing on the continent, winning the 1927 and 1928 Grand Prix de Boulogne in France driving a Bugatti T39A. Sir Malcolm was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. He collected numerous trophies during his career, many of which are now in private collections where the family heirlooms appear to have been sold off at various times, rather than jealously guarded. HERITAGE TRUST The Malcolm Campbell Heritage Trust is (according to Donald Wales ) a body set up by family members in the 2000s to seek to preserve what they may of Sir Malcolm. Exactly what they are seeking to put into trust is not known. We do not know if there is a collection or museum that is operated by this trust, what they own and don't own. If you have any information of projects please let us know.

BROOKLANDS HANDICAP TROPHY 1930 A Brooklands BARC - September Mountain Racing Handicap trophy presented to Capt. Malcolm Campbell, 1930, a fine and large heavy silver tankard awarded to the driver, the hand-beaten quart vessel in classical George II style, having hinged lidded cover with lion couchant to top, engraved to front with entwined initials ï¿½BARCï¿½ and foliate motif design inscribed ï¿½Brooklandsï¿½ below, further inscribed ï¿½Sept 20th 1930 - 2nd Prize. September Mountain Racing Handicap - Capt. Malcolm Campbellï¿½, stamped hallmarks and makers marks Charles Boyton & Son, London 1930, Weight 41oz, Height 8ins (20cm).

A Sale of Sports, Competition and Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia Chichester, Goodwood 7 Jul 2006 10:00 BST - Auction 14259 The Motor Sports Association ( MSA ) is recognised as the sole motor sport governing body for the United Kingdom by the world governing body, the Fï¿½dï¿½ration Internationale de l'Automobile ( FIA ). However many popular short circuit motorsport disciplines in the UK are not covered, such as Banger Racing, Autograss and Hot Rod Racing. As the governing body, the MSA is responsible for the governance and administration of all major forms of motor sports in the UK, controlling the technical and sporting rules across the various disciplines. It is not concerned with motorcycle or side-car competitions, which are governed by the Auto-Cycle Union. The MSA implements these rules, known as the General Regulations, to govern the conduct of motor sports at national level. These rules are made and amended by the Motor Sports Council, which is the 'parliament' of motor sports, while the MSA acts as the 'civil service' in times of need and to ensure safety of the General Public.

It administers the licensing of 34,000 competitors, 10,000 volunteers and officials and the 5,000 events taking place in the UK each year. International Motor Sports is a wholly owned subsidiary of the MSA which organizes the British Grand Prix, the Rally of Great Britain and the Rally Scotland, some of the flagship motor sports events in the United Kingdom . SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL MEMORIAL TROPHY - 22 FEB 2010 Formula 1 team principal Ross Brawn was the Guest of Honour at the Motor Sports Associationï¿½s prestigious awards ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club in London in 2010. During the evening , Ross was presented with the Sir Malcolm Campbell Memorial Trophy in honour of the Brawn GP teamï¿½s achievements in the 2009 Formula 1 World Championship, during which Jenson Button claimed the Driversï¿½ world championship and the team took the Constructorsï¿½ crown. Button himself would also have been present to receive the Hawthorn Memorial trophy, which is awarded annually to the most successful British or Commonwealth driver in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Unfortunately, pre-season commitments prevented him attending but he managed to send a video message to the assembled guests thanking them for the award. Brawn is quoted as saying: 'It is with great pride that I accept this award on behalf of the whole team. Everyone worked extremely hard just to get us onto the grid in Australia and then during the season to keep us ahead of the chasing pack. This award is due recognition for all the efforts of an amazing team of people and I am delighted to receive it on their behalf.' From 1950 to 1980, the Sir Malcolm Campbell Memorial Trophy has been awarded for outstanding performances by British drivers in British cars in many forms of competition. Other well known names to appear on the roll of honour include: Sir Malcolm and Lady Dorothy Campbell above had a son and a daughter. Donald is well known for his speed records. Jean Dorothy Wales (nee Campbell) is lesser known. Her son Donald, is now better known as Don Wales. Jean and Donald are pictured below.

She is recorded as living at Orchard Lodge, Oakhurst Lane, Loxwood in West Sussex, at the time of the making of a Declaration of Trust dated the 16th of October 2001 - this Declaration was made in connection with the setting up of the Malcolm Campbell Heritage Trust , a Trust that appears to have been set up to create a fund in furtherance of the projects (objects) of both Malcolm and Donald Campbell. A bit late in the day, but not a bad idea - actually triggered by the efforts of Bill Smith , the diver who raised the K7 early in 2001. A trophy does not have to be a cup. It can be anything representative of the event's objectives, such as the K3 water speed record boat for the Bluebird trophy presented to Malcolm Campbell when he broke the world water speed record, hitting the new world record speed of 126.33mph on Lake Maggiore in Switzerland on 1 September 1937. Sir Charles C Wakefield (Lord Wakefield of Hythe 1859-1941) Was the principal Director of CC Wakefield & Co. Ltd. , the "Castrol" oil company.

A keen supporter of motor and aviation development, he was the sponsor of Amy Johnson's flight to Australia and he partner Capt.James Mollison's attempt on the Atlantic. He sponsored Sir Henry Segrave's attempts in Miss England lll to recapture the British International Trophy, but stepped back from the field following Segraves death in 1930. However, he supported Sir Malcolm Campbell in both his land and Waterspeed record attempts and made several presentations to Campbell to commemorate notable records. [Left] BONHAMS AUCTION 2010 - The trophy, a model of the single-step hydroplane Bluebird K3, attracted a pre-sale price of ï¿½35,000 to ï¿½50,000 ahead of the Bonhams auction on 24 March 2010. An outstanding waterline model of Sir Malcolm Campbell's single step hydroplane K3 set onto a green onyx base, on a black wooden plinth with a silver plaque inscribed "Presented to Capt. sir Malcolm Campbell, MBE. by Viscount Wakefield of Hythe GCVO, CBE, TD.

World Water Speed Record 129.5 mph Bluebird, Lake Maggiore. Sept. 1st 1937". Hallmarked London 1937 by Skinner & Co. Together with a watercolour by Raymond Groves of K3 on Lake Maggiore, formerly the property of Sir Malcolm Campbell, measuring 19.3x8x7in (49x20x18cm). [Right] Gordon Crosby LSR artwork is somewhat Turneresque in our view. Thought to have been the property of Sir Malcolm Campbell, the 1935 Bugatti above (chassis 57531) is one of the most original Type 57SC's - held not to have been restored. According to web reports the body had not been off the frame and most of the paint is original. Incredible. The car was ordered by Sir Malcolm Campbell of England then sent un-bodied to Corsica of London. After the coachwork was completed it was painted blue and nicknamed - you guessed it: 'Blue Bird'. Sir Malcolm Campbell's 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom II seen here in a stunning, what looks to be a, pearl metallic blue paint job.

That sort of paint mix may not have been available in 1933, but the custom finish is superb. Rolls Royce Phantom "Waterspeed" commemorative edition drophead coupe. This special limited run of custom cars is dedicated to Sir Malcolm Campbell and the famous K3 . The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupï¿½ Waterspeed Collection was previewed to selected UK press and customers at an exclusive event on the site of the original Bluebird Motor Company ï¿½ now the Bluebird Restaurant ï¿½ on the Kingï¿½s Road, London on Tuesday 13 May 2014. LEGENDARY - The blue bird legend continues with the classic lines of this racing car , inspired by Reid Railton and his designs for the Napier Lion and Rolls Royce engined Blue Bird LSR cars in the 1930s. The Blueplanet BE3 features instant battery recharging using the patent Bluebirdï¿½ cartridge exchange system under license from BMS . This LSR is also solar assisted. She is designed for speeds in excess of 350mph using clean electricity.

Imagine the spectacle of this beautiful vehicle speeding across the salt at Bonneville , or flying past on the sand at the Daytona or Pendine beaches. To hire this vehicle for your venue please contact BMS and ask for Richard or Terry. The BE3 team need at least 6 months advance notice of events or the fees rise dramatically. The Land Speed Record THE LAND SPEED RECORD The Ultimate Whizzers. In 1899, the first car to exceed 100kph was the streamlined electric special of Camille Jenatzy (below), named La Jamais Contente - 'The Never Satisfied'. Summing up the attitude of all the LSR contenders ever since. No web page can do full justice to this enormous and fascinating subject, so all I shall attempt to do is give a flavour of it through some of my favourite cars, their builders and drivers. A full list of all the official Records is at the end of this article. Check out the book list at the bottom for more information. Peter Renn.. The Bluebirds and the Golden Age.

A successful racer at Brooklands, Captain Malcolm Campbell first started his association with the LSR by buying the 350hp Sunbeam which Kenelm Lee Guinness had used to set an new record of 133.75mph in 1922. In 1924 Campbell modified the car with a longer, streamlined tail and new fairings to the body and suspension. The car was repainted in Campbell's favourite shade of blue and named "Bluebird" the same as his pre-war racing cars. After a couple of abortive attempts at Fanöe beach in Denmark, where tyre failures caused the death of one boy spectator and nearly destroyed the car, Campbell moved to Pendine Sands in South Wales and raised the record twice to 146.16 and then 150.76mph. Campbell realised that the Sunbeam with its elderly 18 litre Manitou aircraft engine was not going to stay competitive for long, and had ambitious plans for an all new 'Bluebird'. The new car took two years to build at enormous cost. Using a 450hp 12 cylinder Napier Lion aero engine, a huge Chassis built by Vickers Ltd.

and a body made by Jarvis & Sons of Wimbledon, the machine was built by the Robin Hood Engineering Works in Putney Vale. In 1927, by now obsessed with the record which had been pushed up to 171.02mph by Parry Thomas's Babs during his absence, Campbell rushed the new car to Pendine and without waiting for favourable weather or tide conditions set out on the soaking, soft beach. He managed a time through the flying kilometre at 179.158mph and was running even faster on his return run when he hit a sharp bump in the sand which knocked his goggles off. Driving one handed at nearly three miles a minute on streaming wet sand, he managed to replace them and regained enough speed to regain the record at an average of 174.883mph. The horrific death of Parry Thomas in 1927 was the end for Pendine Sands as a record course. Major Henry Seagrave used Daytona beach and raised the record in a quantum leap to over 200mph in his 1000 horsepower Sunbeam.

This huge increase meant that Campbell had to redesign Bluebird again, using a high boost version of the Lion Engine prepared for the Schneider Trophy air race developing 875hp and a completely new wind tunnel tested body designed for it by Vickers. The Car was ready by the start of 1928. He too took the car to Daytona, which had by now become an organised speed 'Meet' and in typically impatient style set off almost immediately without waiting for the high winds to die down completely. The beach was bumpy and at the end of his first run on 19th February he was running very fast at over 210mph when he was thrown up in his seat as before at Pendine, losing his goggles and forcing his foot off the throttle. The resulting deceleration threw the car into an enormous series of swerves, but Campbell let the car run with the skid until the speed dropped enough to regain control. He then immediately turned the car around for the return run. Either as a calculated risk, or as an oversight caused by his enormous terrifying slide, Campbell did not change tyres as arranged and set off straight away.

Luckily this time he missed the bump and his tyres survived, giving him a new record average of 206.956mph. Moving the course to Daytona had renewed American interest in the LSR and a number of projects were under way to try to end the British car's domination.. Frank Lockhart was killed when his beautiful and fast Black Hawk Stutz burst a tyre at nearly 220mph but Ray Keech's triple engined 81(!) litre Triplex snatched the record form Bluebird after only two months. Campbell, his patriotism and ego stung, had already resolved to regain the title when it was announced that his old rival Seagrave was building a new car. Once again he redesigned Bluebird with a new body and made an attempt on the record at Verneuk Pan, a dry lake bed in South Africa. This attempt came to naught when the news came through that Segrave's new car had raised the record to 231.446mph. The Golden Arrow was astonishingly efficient, completing only one quick test run at 100mph or so before making its two record runs seemingly effortlessly.

This incredible car can lay claim to being the most effective LSR car built, having run for a total of roughly 24 miles in its entire lifetime. Campbell gave up on Veneuk Pan and returned to give Bluebird her biggest redesign yet. The car was reduced to its bare chassis and under the auspices of Reid Railton at Thompson and Taylor of Booklands a new 1450 bhp Napier engine, K.L.G. gearbox and offset propshaft. The body was again redesigned much lower with a large stabilising fin at the rear. Returning to Daytona in 1931 and despite the bumps, Campbell was delighted when the new car recorded a new LSR of 246.09mph, more than four miles a minute. On his return to Southampton he was greeted by a special flight of aircraft and a "Bluebird Special" train. His Majesty the King announced that Campbell was to be knighted for his achievements in breaking the record five times. Campbell was 46 and many expected him to retire with his ambitions fulfilled.

However, 'Jamais Contente', The man who had become synonymous with record breaking thought that 246.09 was tantalisingly close to the magic figure of 250 miles per hour. In 1933, the Napier engine was replaced by a 36.5 litre Rolls Royce R type unit giving 2300 hp. With this and some minor modifications to the bodywork Campbell raised his own record to a huge 272.46mph. Despite the lack of challengers to his record, he wouldn't rest on his laurels and determined to be the first to 300mph. Yet another version of Bluebird was prepared with an all enclosing body, twin rear wheels and vacuum operated air brakes. The Car achieved a new LSR of 276.816mph but it was clear Daytona was now becoming too short at 10 miles to give enough room for these high speeds and the soft surface caused wheelspin problems. Various record cars including the enormous pre-war Blitzen Benz and John Cobb's Napier Railton had used the dry lake Bonneville as a surface.

This enormous area of salt flats was chosen as the venue for the assault on the 'Three Hundred'. In September 1935 a course was laid out on the salt and the Bluebird set out early in the morning of September 3rd .Oil covered the windscreen as he entered the measured mile and a front tyre burst towards the end of the run but Campbell held the car and stopped safely albeit with three tyres shredded to the canvas and one on fire. As the car was prepared for the return run, Campbell's son Donald tried to talk to him but quickly realised that it was the wrong thing to do, as the obsessive record breaker was quite expecting to die on the second run. Again the tyres were shredded and the car went into a lurid slide at the end of the course but stopped safely. The average for the two runs was 301.129mph. Finally the indefatigable Campbell was satisfied, at least with the LSR. He turned his attention then to the water speed record, still making and planning speed records until his death at 63 in 1948. The Wheel Driven Record Sir Malcolm Campbell had firmly established record breaking in the public imagination.

By the time Bluebird had achieved 300mph in 1935 the major players were all household names in England. Captain George Eyston's Thunderbolt record car, a 73 litre, twin Rolls Royce engined monster raised the target to 312.00mph in 1937, starting a duel with the quiet, modest Surrey fur broker John Cobb, whose exploits in the 23 litre Napier Railton at Brooklands and Bonneville were well known. Cobb held the highest regard for Reid Railton's design genius, and this together with his own almost shy modesty led to the naming of his new LSR car simply as the Railton. Startlingly beautiful in its purity, the shape of the Railton was an almost perfect teardrop. The one-piece shell lifted off to reveal an S shaped chassis containing two Napier Lion Engines which drove all four wheels. Built by Thompson and Taylor, the Railton was ready for a record attempt in the summer of 1938, arriving at Bonneville at the same time as Eyston's new Thunderbolt.

The Thunderbolt pushed its own record up to 345.49mph before the much smaller engined Railton was the first to 350mph a few weeks later. Cobb's record was only to stand for one day however, as Eyston took his quickly modified behemoth out the next morning and raised the record to 357.50mph. The following year, on the eve of the second World War Cobb returned to Bonneville and flashed through the measured mile in less than ten seconds to set a new figure of 369.70mph. The war precluded any more record attempts (including the very interesting stillborn T80 Daimler Benz project now resting in the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart) so it wasn't until 1947 that Cobb returned, His sights firmly set on 400mph in 1947. Bonneville's salt floods each winter so the surface varies according to the weather. This year it was bumpier than usual with soft patches and pot holes so while the Railton touched 403, the average for the two runs (and a new record) was a tantalising 394.196mph.

For sixteen years, Cobb's record stood and, like the four minute mile, the four hundred miles per hour record seemed unattainable. "Class records" for cars of specific engine size or over longer distances were broken but despite the efforts of LSR legends such as Art Arfons, Mickey Thompson and Dr. Nathan Ostich no one came very close to the Railton's record. Donald Campbell already had broken 200mph on water and in 1956 started work on a 400mph car. The Campbell-Norris CN7 car used a Proteus gas turbine engine from the Britannia airliner and developed about 4100 hp. The body was a sort of monocoque made from aluminium honeycomb and naturally the car was named "Bluebird". Although the car used a jet engine, it was driven through its wheels via spiral bevel gearboxes at both ends. After an enormous crash at 360mph which Campbell miraculously survived, the project (which was reputed to have cost over £1 million) seemed finished.

On regaining consciousness, Donald almost immediately asked how soon the car could be repaired and hearing this Sir Alfred Owen, head of the Owen Organisation said "If Campbell has the guts to carry on, I'll build him another car" The new Bluebird had a tail fin for additional stability and a modified oxygen system which had been held responsible for causing the crash by allowing the driver to become light headed Eventually after a plague of technical and weather problems the car recorded a speed of 403.10mph. It was to be Donald Campbell's only foray into the LSR and he returned to water records. The speed of over 400mph was a qualified success however. By the time Bluebird had made it Craig Breedlove had already set 407.45mph in Spirit of America. This car was not universally recognised though, as it had only three wheels (which made it technically a motorcycle!) and because it was driven by the pure thrust from the engine like the jet aircraft it resembled. John Cobb's prophesy seemed to be held true by the authorities. "A jet propelled car would not be a motor-car; it would be a sort of aeroplane dragging its wheels along the course".

Thus the Land Speed record became split into two classes, for wheel driven vehicles, and for those propelled by pure thrust. It was obvious however that Jet cars were the way to much higher speeds and quickly the ultimate LSR went up to over 500mph. The wheel driven record was much harder to crack, and the only project which managed it was the Summers brothers' Goldenrod. A beautifully shaped tiny projectile built around four Chrysler Hemi engines set in a row. The combined output of these engines was somewhere in the region of 2400 hp, the engines two shared gearboxes linked by a special Hurst shifting mechanism. I was lucky enough to meet Bill Summers (right) at Goodwood this year and he told me his brother Bob needed both hands to change gear, letting go of the wheel at over 200mph while he did so! Their 1965 record of 409.277mph stood for many years. Don Vesco's turbine powered (but wheel driven) streamliner has recently (October 2001) raised the official FIA wheel driven record to458.440 mph! A fantastic achievement.

He said " The down run Thursday morning at 11:03 a.m. resulted in a speed over the measured mile of 458.718 MPH. The return run at 11:58 a.m. was 458.162 MPH for an average of 458.440 MPH. The weather that morning was perfect, about 60 degrees (f), very little wind, no clouds. The salt was the best I have seen it in the 43 years I have been going to Bonneville." Pictures and more info are set to appear on the Team Vesco site at Stop Press...December 16 2002. I'm very sorry to report that Don Vesco has died, of cancer in San Diego aged 63. One of the great names of record breaking and a Bonneville legend. He will be greatly missed. SirMalcolmCampbell photos on Flickr | Flickr 99+ Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the #EnglishLakeDistrict.

It is five miles (8 km) long, half a mile (800 m) wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet (56 m), and covers an area of 1.89 square miles (4.9 km2). The lake has an elevation of 143 feet (44 m) above sea level. It drains to the sea via the #RiverCrake. The lake was formerly known as "Thurston Water", a name derived from the Old Norse personal name 'Thursteinn' + Old English 'waeter'. This name was used as an alternative to #ConistonWater until the late 18th century. In the 20th century Coniston Water was the scene of many attempts to break the world water speed record. On August 19, 1939 #SirMalcolmCampbell set the record at 141.74 miles per hour (228.108 km/h) in Bluebird K4. Between 1956 and 1959 Sir Malcolm's son Donald Campbell set four successive records on the lake in Bluebird K7, a hydroplane.

Bluebird of 1938 seen in Saint Tropez on 28th July 2010. The last of the three yachts owned by Sir Malcolm Campbell, holder of the world land and water speed records before the war, was Blue Bird II. His previous two boats, also called Blue Bird, - as were his record breaking cars and power-boats - were the 29-tonner, now called CHICO and the 16-tonner Bluebird of Chelsea, both on this website. All three, as it happened, went to Dunkirk in 1940. Built by the Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Company, and designed by G.L. Watsons, the Scottish Naval Architects, it was to be an ocean-going yacht, capable of crossing the Atlantic to fulfill his dream to go treasure hunting in the Cocos Islands in the Pacific, - Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Islands. But, only a year after he took delivery of his splendid yacht, with its five cabins, its dining saloon panelled in English oak and walnut-panelled smoking room, war broke out and Blue Bird, was requisitioned. Although her participation at Dunkirk is recorded in A.D.

Divine's book, no more details survive. A Royal Navy telegraphist, has left an interesting first-hand account of some of her crew and her activities. At that time, she was engaged in the H.M. Customs Examination Service with a complement of two RNR officers and 16 crew. It was spring 1941 and Blue Bird's Examination Station was west of the Bar Light Vessel, observing the approaches to the Mersey Main Channel off Liverpool. They spent three days at a time at sea, during which the Examination Officer, assisted by the deck crew, checked on all traffic into the port of Liverpool. There were frequent air raids on Liverpool docks and the Birkenhead shipyards. As soon as the alert was sounded, Blue Bird would cast off from the river pontoon and take up station in mid-stream to look out for enemy mines dropped from the air, and for ships approaching by sea. Once she narrowly missed being blown up by a bomb which, had it not failed to explode, would have blown them sky-high. In September 1941 Blue Bird was posted to Londonderry, N.

Ireland to patrol the coast of Ulster and Eire to intercept 'neutral' cargo vessels and to identify coasters in the channel approaches. This left a fair time for fishing. Bob McKenzie, the coxswain, was a trawlerman in peacetime and many of the lower ranks had been fishermen too. They soon rigged up an improvised trawl, a longline with l00 hooks at a time and hand lines to catch mackerel - all of which provided useful income, or currency for barter with the good people of Eire, when they passed in and out of Lough Foyle. A break in their routine was provided by their periodic visits to Belfast Lough for 'de-gaussing' - a process for making the ship less susceptible to magnetic mines. After the war, Blue Bird was de-commissioned, but by then Sir Malcolm Campbell was too ill to realise his dream of going treasure hunting in her. In 1948 he died and five years later, Blue Bird was sold to Jean Louis Renault, the French car maker, who owned her for 25 years, changed her name to Janick and added crew's quarters on the foredeck.

She cruised extensively in the Mediterranean and was eventually sold to Mr. E. Colberg, who kept her at Long Beach, California. This is where Bob Harvey-George and his wife Sheila heard she was for sale. They succeeded in buying her and sailed back to Cornwall, where they arrived in June 1986 after a five-week voyage, proving her seaworthiness whilst avoiding the first hurricane of the year in the Pacific. Since then, the ship has completed a major process of restoration. She has gone back to her old name: Blue Bird, and closer to her original design. Large areas of her deck have been covered with teak planking recovered from a ship which sank in the Bristol Channel in 1917. Her rigging, panelling and paintwork have all been restored and modern technology and comforts have been introduced discreetly without spoiling the charm of a more leisurely and elegant age. In 1995 Bluebird was bought by a Dutch Deep-sea Captain who took her to Holland. There, he and his wife Susan brought Bluebird back to immaculate condition working seven days a week for four years. In the condition she is now she will survive well into the 21st century!

Bluebird is now registered as a passenger yacht and is the pride of the Port of Rotterdam. Each summer she cruises the Baltic waters and the South Coast of England. Bluebird of Chelsea, formerly Bluebird, is a motor yacht originally built for Sir Malcolm Campbell. Ownership by Sir Malcolm Campbell She was built in 1931 by Thornycrofts of Southampton, as a twin petrol-engined wooden carvel-built motor yacht. Campbell sold her after three years, as his motor-racing experience made him wary of the fire risks of petrol engines aboard. He was also highly superstitious and believed a gypsy warning that, "his death would come from the water". In hindsight, this may have applied more to his son Donald. Dunkirk and WW2 She had three further owners before being requisitioned by the Admiralty at the outbreak of World War II. Soon she was on her way with the flotilla of Little Ships to Dunkirk. Not without two false starts though, first due to engine trouble and then over-crowding. Her return from Dunkirk was even more fraught: after first refilling the fuel tanks with water, then fouling her screws on debris, she returned under tow.

Her later wartime service was spent in Scotland performing transport work for the RASC, then later on the South coast around Weymouth and Gosport. Her history after this is sketchy, although she was renamed Blue Finch and found herself on the Atlantic coast of the South of France. Survival today In 1984 the Chelsea art dealer Martin Summers discovered her in France and decided to restore her. Some initial work in France made her apparently fit for a single-engined Channel crossing, but once again another engine failure meant that she returned from France under tow. H & T Marine (Hiscock and Titterington) of Poole performed an extensive restoration, to the very highest quality. After re-launch in 1986 she now lies alongside Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. Her condition today continues in this fine tradition. Donald Campbell died on 4th January, 1967 attempting to break the Water Speed Record on Coniston Water in "Bluebird". Donald and his father, Sir Malcolm Campbell, had set (between them) eleven speed records on water and ten on land. The wreckage of Campbell's craft was recovered by the Bluebird Project between October 2000 and May 2001.

His body was finally located just over two months later and recovered from the lake on 28 May 2001, still wearing his blue nylon overalls. Campbell was buried in Coniston Cemetery on 12 September 2001 after his coffin was carried down the lake, and through the measured kilometre, on a launch, one last time. The funeral was overshadowed in the media due to coverage of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

Question: What was the name that Sir Malcolm Campbell gave to his record breaking boats and cars
Answer: Bluebird