2010, BY JOHN ELWELL (B.1949), EDITION 1/1

The present lot is a model of the Campbell-Railton Blue Bird model, Sir Malcolm Campbell's final land speed record car. The supercharged V12 Rolls-Royce powered Blue Bird was designed by Reid Railton, the respected land and water speed vehicle engineer responsible for Sir Malcolm Campbell’s record cars from 1931-35. English coachbuilders Gurney Nutting supplied the modernist streamlined body and twin rear wheels were fitted to improve traction. The Blue Bird had its first run in Daytona in 1933, setting a record of 272 miles per hour. However, although the car had the power to achieve higher speeds, there were problems with poor traction on the uneven sand. After extensive moderations and improvements to the Blue Bird, on 3rd September 1935, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, Campbell managed to reach the record land speed of 301.129 miles per hour, the apogee of his record-breaking career.