The first time I ever saw footage of the fatal Bluebird crash in the Lake District it made a huge impact on me. To see this weird looking vehicle hit a speed of over 300mph and then flip over and fall apart was quite astonishing.
Donald Campbell is the only person who has ever broken the land speed record and the water speed record in the same year and it is entirely possible that no one ever emulates that feat. His death in 1967 was one of those unforgettable moments in which someone tries to do something so incredible and fails that it leaves you speechless.
If you want to relive more of the Campbell family’s adventures in Bluebird vehicles then tomorrow (13th of June) is the time to do it. Sorry for the short notice but from 8 am through to 10.30 am is when you will want to be outside the Theatre Royal in Haymarket, London.
The reason is the launch of their latest vehicle. The Campbells have managed a fantastic total of over 20 speed records (both land and water) in their century of trying to get as possible as one can in a vehicle.
Their newest fast machine is the electric Bluebird circuit racing car, which has been designed with the mooted FIA Formula E series in mind.
A Free Exhibition and Talk
The exhibition is free and so is the talk which comes afterwards. This will talk place inside the theatre at 2pm. Don Wales and Gina Campbell are the family members who will be delighting us with hitherto unseen footage and talking about the long Campbell history of going fast.
Of course, the Theatre Royal played a big part in the story. Legend has it that Sir Malcolm Campbell went there to see the play The Blue Bird 100 years ago and then went straight to an ironmonger’s shop to buy all the blue paint that they had. The very same night the first in a long line of Bluebirds was born.