CAMPBELL NAPIER RAILTON - BLUE BIRD

Designer of the fastest Blue Bird racing cars in the 1930s and Mobil Special in the 1950s

 

 

 

Malcolm Campbell (second left looking worried) inspects progress with his latest Blue Bird design to feature the Napier Lion aircraft engine. 

 

 

The Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird was a land speed record car commissioned by Malcolm Campbell after Segrave's Golden Arrow proved it's mettle and outperformed previous Blue Birds. 

Clearly Captain Campbell needed a more powerful engine to make his next Blue Bird competitive, 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 the 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 almost unchanged in shape, another first for Campbell, and who could resist such a telltale sign of speed - even if just for the showmanship.

 

 

 

 



Unfortunately for LSR breaking Segrave was killed in an attempt on the water speed record whilst Campbell was away scouting for new record courses in South Africa. On his return he 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.

 

 

 

 

Watercolour on paper 45 x 70 cm - Shevchukart

 


 

At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking that the car above is the Napier Lion engined Blue Bird. Look carefully and you'll notice that there is a Napier Lion engine under the bonnet, but there are twin tails (seeking to advantage of wheel spat drag and do away with the central after-cockpit fin) and the bonnet is scalloped to fit around the engine, which is not the case in the Blue Bird. The wheel spats are similar in design, but the wedge front end onto which a radiator module has been added, is Golden Arrow. Blue Bird used a virtually identical mechanical layout.

 

 

Napier Lion engine as used in Malcolm Campbell's Blue Bird

 

A Napier Lion W12 aero engine

 

 

 

Country of Manufacture

Great Britain

Engine

    Manufacturer

Napier sprint Lion VII Schneider Cup aircraft engine

    Cylinders

12 - 3 banks of 4

    Bore

139.7mm

    Stroke

130.17mm

    Cubic Capacity

23,942cc

    Compression ratio

    Valves

    Carburettor

Claudel-Hobson 3 no.

    Max. Power

1,350 - 1,450 bhp at 3,600 rpm Centrifugal supercharger

    Engine Mounting

sub-frame

Transmission

    Clutch

multiplate Ferodo lined

    Gearbox

KLG 3 speed constant mesh

    Ratios

4.01, 2.27, 1.58

    Back axle

offset 7in to enable lower driving seat

    Type of drive

bevel gear final drive 1.58 to 1

Chassis

Vickers - steel underslung under the rear axle

Suspension

Woodhead - 1/2 elliptic springs front 3ft 1in rear 4ft 2 1/2in

Shock Absorbers

Hartford shock absorbers - 4 to each axle

Steering Gear

Marles - dual. Ackerman action

Brakes

Alford and Alder18in dia steel disc with Clayton-Dewandre vacuum servo

Wheels

Dunlop steel

Tyres

Dunlop 35 x 6in front, 37 x 6in rear

Dimensions

    Wheelbase

12ft 2in

    Track front

5ft 4in.

    Track rear

4ft 2in.

    Length

25ft

    Weight

71cwt

Fuel Tank Capacity

23 gallons

Radiator

Serck honeycomb

Bodywork

    Manufacturer

Gurney Nutting and Co. Ltd

    Material

aluminium

 

...

 

 

Sir Malcolm Campbell and Blue Bird  

 

 

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 Bluebird™ 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 notice of venues.

 

 

Reid Railton inspired Blueplanet BE3

 

 

Trophy in silver: Railton Blue Bird Daytona February 1931

 

Trophy in silver: Railton Blue Bird Daytona February 1931

 

 

 

 

LINKS

 

Campbell-Napier-Railton_Blue_Bird

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campbell-Napier-Railton_Blue_Bird

Railton_Special

John_Cobb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cobb_%28motorist%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railton_Special

Crusader_speedboat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusader_%28speedboat%29

Daytona_Beach,_Florida

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytona_Beach,_Florida

Daytona_Beach_Road_Course

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytona_Beach_Road_Course

History of the Daytona Beach shore

Bill France, Jr.'s account of races at the track

NASCAR track stats

NASCAR track statistics at racing-reference.info

Account of the 1957 Daytona race from winner cottonowens.com

Lee Bible’s tragic death

Speed TV article on Daytona’s history

Profile of Ormond Beach’s racing history

 

 

 

 

 

 

A - Z OF WORLD FAMOUS RACING CIRCUITS

 

Aintree

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet

Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Brazil)

Bahrain International

Barcelona-Catalunya, Circuit de 

Bathurst (Australia)

Brands Hatch

Bremgarten Circuit

Brooklands

Donington Park

Fuji Speedway

Giles Villeneuve

Goodwood

Hockenheimring

Imola

Indianapolis

Knockhill

Korea International Circuit

Laguna Seca (CA, USA)

Le Mans

Mallory Park

Monaco

Monte Carlo

Monza

Nurburgring [Nordschleife] (Germany)

Oulton Park

Rockingham

Santa Pod Raceway

Sebring International Raceway

Shanghai International

Silverstone

Snetterton

Spa Francorchamps (Belgium)

Suzuka Circuit

Thruxton

Zandvoort, Circuit Park

Zeltweg (Austria - Red Bull)

 

TAGS

 

Aintree

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Autódromo Internacional Nelson Piquet

Autódromo José Carlos Pace

Bahrain International

Barcelona-Catalunya, Circuit de 

Bathurst

Brands Hatch

Bremgarten Circuit

Brooklands

Donington Park

Fuji Speedway

Giles Villeneuve

Goodwood

Hockenheimring

Imola

Indianapolis

Knockhill

Korea International Circuit

Laguna Seca

Le Mans

Mallory Park

Monaco

Monte Carlo

Monza

Nurburgring [Nordschleife] (Germany)

Oulton Park

Rockingham

Santa Pod Raceway

Sebring International Raceway

Shanghai International

Silverstone

Snetterton

Spa Francorchamps

Suzuka Circuit

Thruxton

Zandvoort, Circuit Park

Zeltweg

 

 

 

 

A young Donald Campbell tries the cockpit out for size

 

Young Donald doing some unofficial training in the Railton Blue Bird

 

 

 

The Reid Railton designed Blue Bird of Malcolm Campbell visits Daytona in 1931. This car features the Napier Lion aircraft engine. 

 

 

 

SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL'S BLUE BIRDS


Sunbeam

Napier Lion

Rolls Royce

K3

K4

 

DONALD CAMPBELL'S BLUEBIRDS

 

K7

CN7

CNM8

 

 

 

 

 

 

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