Sir Malcolm Campbell, his son Donald Campbell and their Bluebirds spent the 1920s, 30s, 50s and 60s going faster than anyone else in the world on land and on water.
Sir Malcolm set his first land speed record in 1924 when he coaxed his 350 horsepower Sunbeam to 146 miles per hour. He broke the land speed record a further eight times and the water speed record four times in the years to follow, becoming the first person to drive an automobile faster than 300 miles per hour over a two-run record attempt in 1935.
His son Donald entered the family business in the 50s, setting eight world speed records before his death in 1967. Donald Campbell is still the only person to have set water and land speed records in the same year, having set a land speed record of 429 miles per hour and a water speed record of 276 miles per hour in 1964.
The achievements of these pioneers are to be celebrated in an upcoming exhibition of twenty five paintings and a series of four limited-edition prints by British artist Alistair Little.
The exhibition is called ‘A Passion for Speed’ and opens at Panter & Hall in London on the 11th of January. It tells the Campbell’s speed-fuelled story through Little’s unique artistic eye and looks well worth a visit.
Check out the details over at Panter & Hall’s website here.
Images via Panter & Hall.
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