Sunbeam 350HP

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Sunbeam 350HP
Beaulieu National Motor Museum Sunbeam 350 pk 15-10-2011 13-00-32.png
The Sunbeam 350HP displayed at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, 2011
Overview
Manufacturer Sunbeam of Wolverhampton
Production1
Designer Louis Coatalen
Body and chassis
Body style Open wheel racing car
Powertrain
Engine 18.8-litre V12 [1] Sunbeam Manitou of 350 hp (260 kW)
Transmission 4-speed pre-selector,
final drive ratio 1.5:1
Dimensions
Wheelbase 10 ft 7 in (3.2 m), track 4 ft 6 in (1.4 m)
Length16 ft (4.9 m)
Curb weight 1,550 kg (3,417 lb)

The Sunbeam 350HP is an aero-engined car built by the Sunbeam company in 1920, the first of several land speed record-breaking cars with aircraft engines.

Contents

Design

The car was fitted with a purpose built 18.8-litre V12 engine based on a hybrid of the Sunbeam Manitou and Sunbeam Arab aero engines. This engine had four blocks of three cylinders arranged in two banks set at 60 degrees (unlike the Arab which were set at 90 degrees). Each cylinder had one inlet and two exhaust valves actuated by a single overhead camshaft. The two camshafts were driven by a complex set of 16 gears from the front of the crankshaft - a very similar arrangement to that used on the Maori engine which had two OHC per bank of cylinders. A 4-speed transmission initially drove a back axle with differential with a shaft drive rather than the hazardous chains of other cars. Harry Hawker drove the car in 1920 at Brooklands but suffered a burst tyre, spinning off the circuit. The differential was replaced with a simple crown wheel and pinion so that the rear wheels were locked together and it was more successful in the hands of Kenelm Lee Guinness. Brakes were crude, as was usual in the period, with a foot brake acting on the transmission and a hand brake on the rear drums. Suspension was also typical, with half-elliptic springs all round damped by André Hartford friction shock absorbers. [2] [3] [4]

Racing career

The 350HP was first raced at Brooklands in 1920 by Harry Hawker. In October René Thomas set a new record at the Gaillon hill climb.

On 17 April Jean Chassagne lapping at 114 mph won the Brooklands Easter Meeting 13th Lighting Short handicap. In May 1922 Kenelm Lee Guinness set three records with it: the Brooklands lap record at 123.30 mph (198.43 km/h), then the land speed record over a mile at 129.17 mph (207.88 km/h) and over a kilometre at 133.75 mph (215.25 km/h) this was the last land speed record to be set on the Brooklands track.

Blue Bird

Malcolm Campbell drove the borrowed car at the Saltburn Speed Trials on 17 June 1922 and broke his first speed record at 138.08 mph (222.22 km/h). However the manual stopwatch timing system was not accepted for an official record. [2] [5]

Campbell persuaded Coatalen to sell the Sunbeam to him, painted it blue and renamed it Blue Bird , already the fourth Blue Bird. [5] 23 June 1923 saw Campbell at Fanø, Denmark, recording another record-breaking speed of 137.72 mph (221.64 km/h) over the flying kilometre. This time the record was not officially accepted as the timing equipment was not of the approved type. [2] [5] [6]

Over the winter of 1923–1924 the car was sent to the aircraft maker Boulton Paul at Norwich, for wind tunnel tests. They streamlined the car with a narrow radiator cowl at the nose and a long tapered tail. The rear wheels were also fitted with disk covers. Engine compression was raised by new pistons. [3] [7]

Campbell returned to Fanø in the summer, but the beach was in poor condition and crowd control of the spectators was poor. On the first run both rear tyres were ripped off Blue Bird and narrowly missed the crowd. Campbell protested to the officials about safety standards and declined to take any responsibility for anything else. Sadly, this time a front tyre came off and killed a boy in the crowd. [5] [6]

The car was taken to Pendine Sands in South Wales and saw a more successful result with the first of Campbell's nine records. The record was achieved on 24 September 1924, with a speed of 146.16 mph (235.23 km/h) and an officially sanctioned time. After this he put the car up for sale for £1,500, but decided to keep it for a further attempt on hearing that Parry-Thomas was also planning a record attempt with Babs . Blue Bird returned to Pendine in 1925, and on 21 July it raised this record to 150.766 mph (242.628 km/h), [6] the first time a car had exceeded 150 mph (240 km/h). The best run over the mile had reached 152.833 mph (245.961 km/h), a figure that appeared in contemporary motoring adverts for oil and sparkplugs. [8] To commemorate this achievement Campbell had commemorative models of Blue Bird made. [9]

Survival today

After Campbell, the Sunbeam appears to have returned to circuit racing with wider tyres and a return to the short tail with green paintwork. As late as 1936, bandleader Billy Cotton recorded 121.57 mph (195.65 km/h) over a kilometre on the beach at Southport. [10] The car may have stayed in Lancashire afterwards, turning up there during World War II and then being sold to the Beaulieu collection in 1958.

It is on show today at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire. The engine has undergone extensive restoration after suffering severe damage in the 1990s and was run for the first time in 20 years in January 2014. [11] [12]

2015 appeal and restoration

During a test fire-up in 1993 to assess the car's condition, disaster struck when a blocked oil way in the engine caused it to seize and "throw a rod". For several years after that, the car was on display in the museum with a very visible hole in its engine where the piston and connecting rod had exited.

In January 2014, following a complete mechanical rebuild undertaken by the National Motor Museum's workshop team over a period of many years, the Sunbeam was fired-up again, the first time it had been heard in public in over 50 years. The following month it was a star of the show at Rétromobile, Paris, and was also run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

In 2015 the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu launched an appeal to raise funds to build a new gearbox for the Sunbeam 350HP.

The museum's manager and chief engineer, Doug Hill said:

During the Sunbeam's long and chequered history, its Achilles heel has been a weak gearbox. At some time after WWII, the original gearbox was removed and subsequently lost. It was replaced with a gearbox that was originally used in an Albion 35hp van, designed to take only one tenth of the power this engine produces and the way in which the braking system has been modified means that this installation severely compromises the braking of the vehicle.

For the next stage of the Sunbeam's restoration story, we need to build a new gearbox from scratch. As the original gearbox no longer exists and there is no template to follow, this will be a challenge requiring all of our knowledge and expertise. It is a vital step in our journey to restore the car to its 1925 specification and will greatly help us to drive the car closer to the speed it was built for. [13]

On 21 July 2015 at Pendine beach in Wales the 90th anniversary of Sir Malcolm Campbell's first world land speed record in ‘Bluebird' was recreated by his grandson, Don Wales, also a Land Speed Record holder, who recreated the event in the fully restored car. [14] [15] [16]

Sunbeam 350HP at Pendine Sands in Wales on the 90th anniversary of Sir Malcolm Campbell's land speed record. Sunbeam 350HP 'Bluebird'.jpg
Sunbeam 350HP at Pendine Sands in Wales on the 90th anniversary of Sir Malcolm Campbell's land speed record.

Commenting on the restoration appeal Don said: "This beautiful car has been lovingly restored and looked after by Doug Hill and the team and its only right that such an iconic car deserves to have the final pieces in place to complete her!" [13]

The new gearbox will be part of a long term project to restore the car to its 1925 specification. This would also require the fabrication of two full length exhaust pipes, a new seat and upholstery, and the re-manufacture of a slightly dropped nose cone and rear wheel spats.

In 2016 the National Motor Museum Trust are one of the chosen charities for the newly relaunched London Motor Show where the Sunbeam 350HP will be on display as part of the appeal.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm Campbell</span> British racing driver and speed record holder (1885–1948)

Major Sir Malcolm Campbell was a British racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times, using vehicles called Blue Bird, including a 1921 Grand Prix Sunbeam. His son, Donald Campbell, carried on the family tradition by holding both land speed and water speed records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pendine Sands</span> Beach along Carmarthen Bay, south Wales

Pendine Sands is a 7-mile (11 km) beach on the shores of Carmarthen Bay on the south coast of Wales. It stretches west to east from Gilman Point to Laugharne Sands. The village of Pendine is close to the western end of the beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. G. Parry-Thomas</span> British racing driver and land speed record holder (1884–1927)

John Godfrey Parry-Thomas was a Welsh engineer and motor-racing driver who at one time held the land speed record. He was the first driver to be killed in pursuit of the land speed record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chitty Bang Bang</span> Racing cars

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunbeam 1000 hp</span> Motor vehicle

The Sunbeam 1000 HP Mystery, or "The Slug", is a land speed record-breaking car built by the Sunbeam car company of Wolverhampton that was powered by two aircraft engines. It was the first car to travel at over 200 mph. The car's last run was a demonstration circuit at Brooklands, running at slow speed on only one engine. It is today on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Segrave</span> British racing driver, land and water speed record holder (1896–1930)

Sir Henry O'Neal de Hane Segrave was an early British pioneer in land speed and water speed records. Segrave, who set three land and one water record, was the first person to hold both titles simultaneously and the first person to travel at over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h) in a land vehicle. He died in an accident in 1930 shortly after setting a new world water speed record on Windermere in the Lake District, England. The Segrave Trophy was established to commemorate his life.

The British land speed record is the fastest land speed achieved by a vehicle in the United Kingdom, as opposed to one on water or in the air. It is standardised as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Arrow (car)</span> Motor vehicle

Golden Arrow is a land speed record racer that was built in Britain to regain the world land speed record from the United States. Henry Segrave drove the car at 231.45 mph (372.46 km/h) in March 1929 on Daytona Beach, exceeding the previous record by 24 mph (39 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluebird-Proteus CN7</span> Gas-turbine powered vehicle used to set a world land speed record

The Bluebird-Proteus CN7 is a gas turbine-powered vehicle that was driven by Donald Campbell and achieved the world land speed record on Lake Eyre in Australia on 17 July 1964. The vehicle set the FIA world record for the flying mile at 403.1 mph (648.7 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Napier-Campbell Blue Bird</span> Motor vehicle

The Napier-Campbell Blue Bird was a land speed record car driven by Malcolm Campbell. Its designer was C. Amherst Villiers and Campbell's regular mechanic Leo Villa supervised its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campbell-Railton Blue Bird</span> Motor vehicle

The Campbell-Railton Blue Bird was Sir Malcolm Campbell's final land speed record car.

<i>Babs</i> (land speed record car) Motor vehicle

Babs was the land speed record car built and driven by John Parry-Thomas. It was powered by a 27-litre Liberty aero-engine.

The Sunbeam Tiger is a racing car, built by Sunbeam of Wolverhampton during the 1920s. It was the last car to be competitive both as a land speed record holder, and as a circuit-racing car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunbeam Matabele</span> 1910s British piston aircraft engine

The Sunbeam Matabele was a British 12-cylinder aero engine that was first flown in 1918. The Matabele was the last iteration of one of Sunbeam's most successful aero engines, the Cossack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Bullet (car)</span> Motor vehicle

The Sunbeam Silver Bullet was a world land speed record challenging automobile built by Sunbeam of Wolverhampton for Kaye Don in 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenelm Lee Guinness</span> Irish racing driver

Kenelm Edward Lee Guinness MBE was an Irish racing driver of the 1910s and 1920s mostly associated with Sunbeam racing cars. He set a new Land Speed Record in 1922. Also an automotive engineer, he invented and manufactured the KLG spark plug. Additionally, aside from motorsport and mechanical interests, he was a director of the Guinness brewing company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jarvis of Wimbledon</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aero-engined car</span>

An aero-engined car is an automobile powered by an engine designed for aircraft use. Most such cars have been built for racing, and many have attempted to set world land speed records. While the practice of fitting cars with aircraft engines predates World War I by a few years, it was most popular in the interwar period between the world wars when military-surplus aircraft engines were readily available and used to power numerous high-performance racing cars. Initially powered by piston aircraft engines, a number of post-World War II aero-engined cars have been powered by aviation turbine and jet engines instead. Piston-engined, turbine-engined, and jet-engined cars have all set world land speed records. There have also been some non-racing automotive applications for aircraft engines, including production vehicles such as the Tucker 48 and prototypes such as the Chrysler Turbine Car, Fiat Turbina, and General Motors Firebirds. In the late 20th century and into the 21st century, there has also been a revival of interest in piston-powered aero-engined racing cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Prix Sunbeams 1922</span> Sunbeam cars in a motor racing event

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Prix Sunbeams 1921, 1922 TT</span>

The 1921 S.T.D. 'Works' Grand Prix chassis was built to the three-litre and minimum weight of 800 kilogrammes formula for that year's Indianapolis 500 and French Grand Prix de l’A.C.F. These team cars were modified by the Sunbeam Experimental department in Wolverhampton for the 1922 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, which was won by one of the cars. A few months later, and with 1916 4.9-litre engines, two of the T.T. cars competed in the Coppa Florio, Sicily and gained second and fourth position.

References

  1. Pearce, William. "Blue Bird LSR Car Part 1: 350HP Sunbeam (1923-1925)". old-machine-press. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Holthusen, Peter J. R. (1986). The Land Speed Record. Sparkford: Haynes. ISBN   0-85429-499-6.
  3. 1 2 "Sunbeam 350HP". The Racing Campbells. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
  4. "1920 350 HP Sunbeam – Blue Bird".
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Campbell at Fanoe, 1924".[ dead link ]
  6. 1 2 3 "Sunbeam - The Land Speed Record". historywebsite.co.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
  7. Brew, Alec (1998). Sunbeam Aero-engines. Airlife. ISBN   1-84037-023-8.
  8. "Lodge sparkplug advert". The Motor. 9 March 1926. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011.
  9. "Sunbeam Manitou". Wolverhampton Museum of Industry. Archived from the original on 1 June 2008.
  10. Guidebook. National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.
  11. Cropley, Steve. "Cropley on Cars: Sunbeam Land Speed Record car runs again". Autocar. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  12. Parker, Johni (29 January 2014). "Starting of the Sunbeam 350HP" (Video). Johni Parker. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 via YouTube.
  13. 1 2 "The Sunbam 350HP Appeal" (Press release). National Motor Museum. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  14. "BBC News Land speed record-breaker Blue Bird at Pendine for 90th anniversary". BBC. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  15. Haber, Baba (21 July 2015). "Malcolm Campbell's record breaking Blue Bird to run again". BBC News. Archived from the original (Video) on 3 September 2020 via YouTube.
  16. carphile (7 August 2015). "Don Wales at the wheel of legendary Sunbeam 350hp 'Blue Bird'" (Video). carphile.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021 via YouTube.