$120.00 CAD
| /
Photo of Sir Maxwell Campbell’s Bluebird land speed record car. Taken in front of Halifax Feed & Supply Co. building in Daytona Beach Florida. Car surrounded by admiring bystanders.
Photo by Richard LeSesne, famed Florida photographer of land speed attempts.
Taken in 1935, when Campbell made several record runs.
Small tear lower border. Creases UL corner and right lower border.
4" x 10"
(Red text is an electronic watermark that is not physically part of the photo for sale)
The Campbell-Railton Blue Bird was Sir Malcolm Campbell's final land speed record car.
1935
Visually the car was quite different. The bodywork was now rectangular in cross section and spanned the full width over the wheels. Although actually higher, this increased width gave the impression of a much lower and sleeker car, accentuated by the long stabilizing tailfin and the purposeful raised ridges over the engine camboxes. This Blue Bird was clearly a design of the Modernist '30s, not the brute heroism of the '20s.
Mechanically the changes to the car had focused on improving the traction, rather than increasing the already generous power. Double wheels and tires were fitted to the rear axle, to improve grip. The final drive was also split into separate drives to each side. This reduced the load on each drive, allowed the driver position to be lowered, but required the wheelbase to be shortened asymmetrically on one side. Airbrakes were fitted, actuated by a large air cylinder. For extra streamlining the radiator air intake could be closed by a movable flap, for a brief period during the record itself.
Blue Bird made its first record runs back on Daytona Beach in early 1935. On 7 March 1935 Campbell improved his record to 276.82 miles per hour, but the unevenness of the sand caused a loss of grip and he knew the car was capable of more.
Richard H. LeSesne was an American photographer, noted for his photography of land speed record attempts on Daytona Beach, Florida, in the 1920s and 1930s. More than merely a recorder of other peoples' efforts, LeSesne achieved some celebrity himself as the photographer of these attempts and his signature may be found on photographs of the period along with those of other team members and even the driver himself.
WIKIPEDIA
