Podium Legends Collection # 1

Bluebird Proteus CN7, 1964, at Lake Eyre, South Australia

This dramatic image of the scene of the World Land Speed Record attempt by Donald Campbell of Great Britain on a long flat salt bed in remote South Australia, captures all the drama, tension and danger implicit in shooting for a Speed Record. Bluebird Proteus CN7 was about to set a new world record – and the man driving it felt it his destiny. From 1959 to 1964, one of Britain’s biggest sporting stars was an unassuming man, son of a famous world record-breaking father, whose desire to emulate that stern and austere father led him to an almost lifelong struggle to try and break the World Land Speed Record. His car, the Bluebird Proteus CN7, was an even bigger star. Powered by a Rolls Royce Proteus jet aircraft engine, in Australia on 17th July 1964, Campbell took Bluebird to a 403.1 mph world land speed record.

Our image shows this beautifully shaped car, 5 times the size of a contemporary F1 car, in the South Australian heat haze on the salt flats, with tense team members preparing the car for its final run.

The long low nose, and tall tailfin, were the key visual characteristics of this advanced design. Bluebird CN7 appeared at a time when others, notably in the USA, were experimenting with jet-powered cars with no drive train and sometimes not even 4 wheels, all of which disqualified them from FIA World Land Speed Record recognition. Donald Campbell and his team knew that this version of Bluebird might be the last hurrah for the ‘proper cars’ of the drive train, wheel-driven rather than pure thrust, era. They used what was then current F1 technology – indeed the car was largely built within the Midlands engineering bases of the Rubery Owen Group, who also owned the BRM F1 constructors and race team.

Following a very long build and development programme, and then many difficult mechanical problems, the first attempt ended with a 350mph crash at Bonneville salt flats in Utah in September 1960 which virtually wrote off the £1million car and put an end to Campbell’s immediate attempts to ‘beat those Yanks’. But he was not to be deterred and, with a rebuilt and revised Bluebird, and fresh funding, his 90 man crew and all the equipment set out for a new private site at Lake Eyre in South Australia early in 1962. What had been previously for decades a dry useful surface for record-setting suddenly and disastrously, was flooded – the traditional Campbell bad luck. After many further hitches, it was not until April 1964 that conditions, the car and the funding were finally all back together and set up for a new attempt – and Donald Campbell, his vast team and all his supporters knew this could be the last chance for Bluebird.

That was what had to come together on July 17th 1964. When it did, Campbell expressed more relief than joy at his achievement, left the WLSR alone after that, and won back his Water Speed Record! Sadly, on 4th January 1967, Donald Campbell died while attempting another water speed record. But Bluebird CN7 still stands as his memorial and tribute, much admired by every visitor to the National Motor Museum, which would make those hardy brave men in this image proud of their and his, great success.

Original image source copyright ©2022 The National Motor Museum Trust, Beaulieu, England