THE CAMPBELL DYNASTY |CW
SUPERCHARGED HERITAGE
THE NEED FOR SPEED HAS DRIVEN THE CAMPBELL FAMILY TO SMASH RECORDS FOR THE PAST 100 YEARS, BUT TODAY’S GENERATION IS EMBRACING THE NEW TECHNOLOGY OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES WITH CHRISTOPHER WARD AS A PARTNER
O
n land and on water, Sir Malcolm Campbell and his son Donald, seen right, set speed records that made them eternal British heroes. Their various cars and boats were always called Bluebird and mention of that name still quickens the pulses of those who thrilled to the endeavours of these remarkable men.
For more than 50 years, from the 1910s to the mid-1960s, the Campbells’ astonishing series of world records underlined the technical expertise of British engineering and the courage of British adventurers.
Gina Campbell, Donald’s daughter, continued the family tradition in the 1980s and 1990s, especially on water, proving to be an inspiring role model to a generation of female motor sports enthusiasts. Gina still gets hold of a boat’s throttle these days, while on land the torch is carried by her cousin, Don Wales, whose mother, Jean, was Donald’s sister. For the fourth generation, Don’s 20-year-old son Joe is already continuing the family tradition and is acting as test driver for new Bluebird vehicles.
The Campbell dynasty has not had a high public profile recently, but that is soon to change as Don and Gina are aiming at new records with, typically, the most sophisticated up-to-date technology. But this time it is electric power, not diesel fuel or jet engines, that will propel the latest Bluebird models. As well as the attempts to break UK and world records, from 2014 the battery-powered Bluebirds, if plans come to fruition, will be competing in Formula E, a proposed new series
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