Bluebird Electric, the car which Don Wales (grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE) expects to drive to a new world land speed record of more than 500mph, is being readied for speed trials at Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire in August 2011 before being on show at EcoVelocity. Pendine Sands was the site of Malcolm Campbell’s early land speed records in the 1920s driving his Bluebird cars.
Wales, who is the nephew of Donald Campbell CBE and Grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell, has been maintaining the Campbell Bluebird record-breaking tradition since establishing the UK Land Speed Records for an electric car in 1998 and 2000 at an average speed of 137mph. Wales has been championing electric cars technology for over 15 years.
The current Bluebird Electric is being used as a test and development vehicle to try different battery technologies and drive units as part of Wales’ ultimate goal of setting an electric record of more than 500mph in 2013.
The speed trials in August 2011 at Pendine Sands are part of the development programme. However, timekeepers and race officials will be present and the team hopes to establish a new UK land speed records for an electric car. During the trials Wales also hopes to best his grandfather’s 146 mph land speed record set with a combustion engine on the same beach in 1924. Had the lubricants company Castrol not stepped in to back the project – it also sponsored his uncle and grandfather – it’s questionable whether the team’s shoestring budget would stretch to a record attempt.
Don Wales and the Bluebird Electric will both be present at EcoVelocity.
To find out more about the Bluebird visit http://www.bluebirdspeedrecords.com/
