BEXHILL 100 MOTOR FESTIVAL EAST SUSSEX | THE BLUEBIRD ELECTRIC PROJECT IS BORN

BLUEBIRD-ELECTRIC

The Bexhill 100 - May 1991

It was a chilly day in May. We all met at Filching Manor, near Polegate, early. It was dark. Paul Faulkes-Halbard had agreed to loan his Bluebird K3 boat, of Sir Malcolm Campbell fame, to the Bexhill 100 organisers. This was a 1930's hydroplane powered by a Rolls Royce V12 petrol engine. The task today was to deliver the K3 safely to the seafront venue. Pete Chapman provided the specialist transport.

Paul FH, has a soft spot for the unusual, often helping struggling enthusiasts and engineers to pursue their art. Hence it was that another Museum exhibitor a local inventor, Nelson Kruschandl, was invited to join in the frolics and display his prototype joystick controlled "Borzoi" car as a guest on the Museum's patch. This car too was transported by Pete Chapman.

During the event Nelson drove his joystick car along the seafront, parked, etc, using only one hand to demonstrate the ease of operation. The local press and Meridian TV covered the launch of this unusual prototype vehicle some years previously and in fact it was an Evening Standard reporter who put Paul FH and Nelson in touch.

The Curator of the Filching Manor Motor Museum at that time was Steve Holter, a Campbell fanatic and collector. Steve was to go on to publish a book of his researches, which we are now informed is available from www.amazon.co.uk, Waterstones and other good bookshops. Steve had been working on the K3 restoration during his time at the Museum. A number of volunteers had also been working to restore the K3, including Andy Taylor (blacksmith), Peter Watford (engineer), Ken Pope (carpenter) and Nelson Kruschandl (engineer). The engine wouldn't start which was a problem, soon cured by the guest engineer by when he discovered the Rolls Royce engine was voltage boosted to start.

It was at this show Nelson finally decided to name his electric land speed record car "bluebird-electric." As a tribute to the feats of past heroes and the design skills of Ken and Lewis Norris, and because building fast cars made him happy.

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