Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Mystery Footage: Identify this Land Speed Racer Continue reading the Original Blog Post
A guess from the hip,, the Sunbeam,,, not the small one done by Sunbeam, but an earlier multi engine 'thing'
The guy at around 1:14 is wearing coveralls that have some words embroidered on them. Maybe someone with a bigger better screen might be able to figure out.
i enlarged it but can't tell what it says, but i believe i have seen that car in a video or on tv. if it wasn't it then there are more like it.
George Eyston is best known today for land speed records set in his car Thunderbolt. Between 1937 and 1939 he set three new land speed records, wresting them from Malcolm Campbell's Blue Bird, but was twice bettered by John Cobb.
I think I got this figured out. I believe this is the revamped or second "Thunderbolt" that set the record at 357 m.p.h. in 1938. Mick
George Eyston was an interesting character, yet seems forgotten. He was in a three-way fight with Malcolm Campbell and John Cobb over the World Land Speed Record but although Campbell and Cobb are still household names here in England, sadly no-one seems to remember Eyston. Perhaps it’s because Campbell’s and Cobb’s cars are preserved in museums, whereas Eyston’s Thunderbolt was destroyed in a warehouse fire in New Zealand back in the ‘40s? Here’s a link to more about Eyston… https://www.mgcc.co.uk/articles/george-eyston-king-speed-time-forgot/ Some years ago I had a “behind the scenes” tour of The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in England where several LSR cars are on display, including one of Malcolm Cambell’s Bluebirds, Segrave’s stunning Golden Arrow and Donald Campbell’s Proteus. In the storage archives were the goggles Eyston wore when driving Thunderbolt and a silver platter awarded to him by the RAC for breaking the LSR in Thunderbolt. Also on display was my favorite piece of Eyston memorabilia, his 200mph club jacket…
Forgot to mention that Eyston also broke a bunch of records at Bonneville in the MG streamliner EX179 with fellow Brit Ken Miles. The story goes that there were two experimental racing engines for that MG streamliner - one went “missing” and funnily enough ended up in Ken’s “Flat Iron” MG special which dominated SCTA racing… Here’s a link to some old footage of EX179 https://silodrome.com/mg-speed-trials-bonneville-salt-flats/ Regards Jon.
In the mid 1980's I received a call from a gentleman who told me he was Reed Railton's nephew. He had a bus of some sort that was converted into a motor home and he was physically disabled or was headed that way as I recall. He needed a wheelchair lift and inquired if I could install one in his bus/motor home. I told him that most likely I could and gave him directions but unfortunately he never showed up or called again. I has always wished that he kept that appointment, I was really looking forward to picking is brain about his uncle, if he really was Railton's nephew.
The '38 Thunderbolt was powered by two Rolls-Royce 37 liter V-12 aircraft engines that put out 2,000 horsepower each. In honor of George Eyston, Rolls-Royce has introduced two new "Landspeed" versions of the Wraith coupe and Dawn convertible. https://robbreport.com/motors/cars/...nors-record-breaker-george-eyston-1234621633/
I have a signed copy of George Eyston's book "Fastest on Earth", written in 1939, it's a wonderful chronological diary of early land speed racing. Pictured here with a couple of my LSR cars. Mick
https://oldmachinepress.com/2020/07/05/eyston-thunderbolt-land-speed-record-car/ "The outbreak of World War II put other priorities ahead of the exhibits. Extra space at the Exhibition site was used to store wool and several aircraft and aircraft engines. On 25 September 1946, the wool spontaneously ignited, and the blaze spread quickly amongst the 27,000 bales of wool in storage. Everything in the building, including Thunderbolt, was consumed by the fire. Reportedly, the remains of Thunderbolt were still located near the site as late as December 1956. The engines had been removed before the car was on display and were preserved. Engines R25 and R27 are respectively on display at the Royal Air Force Museum at Hendon and the London Science Museum."
There was a project to locate the remains of Thunderbolt, I think back in the '90s. Working from assorted memories and rumours, much time went into the search using ground radar etc. Nothing was found.
Not difficult to find an old toy car version of this here in UK. Got one myself somewhere here. https://www.maronline.org.uk/dinky-thunderbolts/
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