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Malcolm Campbell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sir Malcolm Campbell | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 11 March 1885 Chislehurst, Kent, England |
| Died | 31 December 1948 (aged 63) Reigate, Surrey, England |
| Resting place | St Nicholas Church, Chislehurst, Kent |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Racing motorist, journalist |
| Spouse | (?) Dorothy Evelyn Whittall, 2 children (?) |
| Children | Donald Campbell (1921-1967) Jean Campbell (1923-) |
Sir Malcolm Campbell (11 March 1885 – 31 December 1948) was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Bluebird. His son, Donald Campbell, was killed in 1967, attempting to repeat his achievements.
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Malcolm Campbell was born in Chislehurst, Kent in 1885.[1]
He competed in Grand Prix motor racing, winning the 1927 and 1928 Grand Prix de Boulogne in France driving a Bugatti T39A.
Malcolm broke nine land speed records between 1924 and 1935, with three at Pendine Sands and five at Daytona Beach. His first two records were driving a racing car manufactured by the Sunbeam Car Company in Wolverhampton.
He set his final land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on September 3, 1935, and was the first person to drive an automobile over 300 miles per hour (301.337 mph).
He set the water speed record four times. His highest speed was 141.740 mph in the Bluebird K4. He set the record on August 19, 1939 on Coniston Water in Great Britain.
He died after a long illness in 1948 in Reigate, Surrey, aged 63 years.[2] He was one of the few land speed record holders of his era to die of natural causes, as so many had died in crashes. His versatile racing on different vehicles made him internationally famous.
His son Donald died 19 years later in an attempt to break the water speed record.
- He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990.
- He was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1933 and 1939.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994.
He was a Vice President of the Middlesex County Automobile Club.
He became interested in the search for buried treasure in the Cocos Islands.
Campbell was also involved in politics. He stood for Parliament without success at the 1935 general election in Deptford for the Conservative Party.
Campbell was depicted by Robert Hardy in a BBC dramatisation of the attempt on the land speed record with Bluebird II.
- www.SirMalcolmCampbell.com
- Newspaper articles and pic of 1935 land speed record
- www.racingcampbells.com - dedicated to the memory of Campbell and his son Donald
- Biography
- Find-A-Grave profile for Malcolm Campbell
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Campbell, Sir Malcolm |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Racing motorist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1885-03-11 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chislehurst, Kent |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1948-12-31 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Reigate, Surrey |