406:, but the salt surface never returned to the promise it had held in 1962 and Campbell had to battle with CN7 to reach record speeds (over 400 mph or 640 km/h). After more light rain in June, the lake finally began to dry enough for an attempt to be made. On 17 July 1964, Campbell set a record of 403.10 mph (648.73 km/h) for a four-wheeled vehicle (Class A). Campbell was disappointed with the record speed as the vehicle had been designed for 500 mph (800 km/h). CN7 covered the final third of the measured mile at an average of 429 mph (690 km/h), peaking as it left the measured mile at over 440 mph (710 km/h). Had the salt surface been hard and dry, and the full 15-mile length originally envisaged, there can be no doubt that CN7 would have set a record well in excess of 450 mph (720 km/h) and perhaps close to her design maximum of 500 mph (800 km/h), a speed that no other wheel-driven car has approached. Campbell commissioned the author
394:
May attempt, the first light rain fell. Campbell and
Bluebird were running by early May but once again more rain fell, and low-speed test runs could not progress into the higher speed ranges. By late May, the rain became torrential, and the lake was flooded. Campbell had to move the CN7 off the lake in the middle of the night to save the car from being submerged by the rising flood waters. The 1963 attempt was over. Campbell received very bad press following the failure to set a new record, but the weather conditions had made an attempt out of the question. BP pulled out as a sponsor at the end of the year.
34:
376:, and other British motor component companies, was unsuccessful and CN7 was severely damaged during a high-speed crash on 16 September. Campbell suffered a fracture to his lower skull, a broken ear drum, and cuts and bruises. He convalesced in California until November 1960. Meanwhile, plans had been put in motion to rebuild CN7 for a further attempt.
304:. The tyre inflation specification was set by Dunlop at greater than 100 psi (6,900 hPa). When the car ran at Goodwood they were set to 130 psi (9,000 hPa) and for record attempts 160 psi (11,000 hPa) was used. Bluebird has a frontal area of 26 square feet (2.4 m) and a drag coefficient of 0.16, giving it a
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His confidence was severely shaken, he was suffering mild panic attacks, and for some time he doubted whether he would ever return to record breaking. As part of his recuperation he learned to fly light aircraft and this boost to his confidence was an important factor in his recovery. By 1961 he was
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in Utah, USA, scene of
Campbell's father's last land speed record (LSR) triumph in 1935. In early September, CN7 accelerated from a standing start to just under 400 mph or 640 km/h in 24 seconds covering 1.5 miles, using approximately 80 per cent of the engine's full power. The LSR attempt
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in July 1960, at its initial public launch and again in July 1962. The laps of
Goodwood were effectively at 'tick-over' speed, because the car had only 4 degrees of steering lock, with a maximum of 100 mph on the straight on one lap. Its shakedown was actually at RAF Tangmere on the main runway
393:
in 1963. The Lake Eyre location was chosen as it offered 450 square miles (1,170 km) of dried salt lake, where rain had not fallen in the previous 20 years, and the surface of the 20 miles (32 km) long track was as hard as concrete. As
Campbell arrived in late March, with a view to a
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in Essex, with a stand in driver, Peter Bolton. He crashed the car during a medium speed run, causing damage to her bodywork and front suspension. The car was patched up and
Campbell ran her at a much lower speed than he intended. Campbell continued with his plans for the rocket-powered car
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The rebuilt car was completed, with modifications including differential locks and a large vertical stabilising fin, in 1962. After initial trials at
Goodwood and further modifications to the very strong fibreglass cockpit canopy, CN7 was shipped this time to Australia for a new attempt at
285:, because the turbine stages of the inner spool drove no compressor stages, but only a power shaft. The engine, a Proteus 705, was specially modified by Norris Bros to have a power shaft at each end of the engine. These shafts are connected directly to
281:'s first successful gas turbine engine design, and delivered 4,450 shp (3,320 kW) with no thrust allowed by FIA, exhaust was limited to fill in aerodynamic disturbance at the rear. The Proteus was a two spool, reverse flow
341:
that extended out from the rear of the vehicle. The turbine engine also provided approximately 500 hp of engine braking when the throttle was closed at 400 mph (640 km/h), but this diminished as speed decreased.
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inches (420 mm) in diameter and are capable of operating up to a maximum temperature of 2,200 °F (1,200 °C). Additional braking was provided by hydraulically powered
430:, to a presentation at city hall before a crowd of in excess of 200,000 people. CN7 was then displayed widely in Australia and the UK after her return in November 1964.
323:) at all four wheels. The brakes are hydraulically controlled with a back up pneumatic system operated from compressed air reservoirs. The brake discs measured
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CN7 was eventually restored in 1969, but has never fully run again. In 1969, Campbell's widow, Tonia Bern-Campbell negotiated a deal with
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In 1956, Campbell began planning a car to break the land speed record, which then stood at 394 mph (634 km/h) set by
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assemblies with differentials and fixed ratios of 3.6:1 providing power to all four wheels via half-shafts.
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of Motor Panels with Ken and Lew Norris as co-chief designers and was completed by the spring of 1960.
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4 ft 9 in (1.45 m) without the vertical fin, 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) with fin
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Campbell and his team returned to Lake Eyre in 1964, with sponsorship from
Australian oil company
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To celebrate the record, Campbell drove CN7 through the streets of the South
Australian capital,
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300:. The split-rim design wheels and 52-inch (130 cm) diameter tyres were manufactured by
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has commented that
Bluebird CN7 was the first car to properly recognise and make use of
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run
Bluebird on Bonneville's Salt Flats. This concept was cancelled when the parallel
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hydroplane, designed Bluebird-Proteus CN7 with 500 mph (800 km/h) in mind.
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Following the low-speed tests conducted at Goodwood, the CN7 was taken to the
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472:, England in 1972, and as of January 2022 is still on display there.
446:. In January 1967, he was killed in his water-speed record jet hydroplane
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255:
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Bluebird CN7 was the first land speed record vehicle to be powered by a
227:
world record for the flying mile at 403.1 mph (648.7 km/h).
243:. The Norris brothers, who had designed Campbell's highly successful
119:
193:
8,064 lb (3,657.77 kg) – 8,960 lb (4,064.19 kg)
703:"Adrian Newey's nomination for the Greatest Motorsport Innovation"
403:
16:
Gas-turbine powered vehicle used to set a world land speed record
350:
Campbell demonstrated his Bluebird CN7 Land Speed Record car at
457:, President of Craig Breedlove and Associates, that would see
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The car weighs 4 tons and was built with an advanced aluminum
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754:"Bluebird, with earlier land speed record cars at Beaulieu"
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on the road to recovery and planning the rebuild of CN7.
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in 1962. The press release photos were taken at Goodwood
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Donald Stevens, CN7 design team and Project Co-Ordinator
571:"1964: Proteus Bluebird CN7 driven by Donald Campbell"
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5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) Track front and rear
410:to chronicle this attempt, with the resultant book
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465:supersonic car project failed to find support.
250:The CN7 (Campbell–Norris 7) was constructed by
296:of immense strength, with a fully independent
8:
660:"Campbell-Norris-Proteus Bluebird CN7 1960"
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527:
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141:Front and rear drives to separate 3.6 to 1
131:) engine of 4,450 shp (3,320 kW)
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23:
99:streamlined fully enclosed "turtle shell"
538:. bluebirdteamracing.net. Archived from
368:however, which was heavily sponsored by
511:
442:with a view to raising the LSR towards
609:. Motor Sport Magazine. Archived from
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563:
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433:In June 1966, CN7 was demonstrated at
705:. Racecar Engineering. 8 January 2013
468:It became a permanent exhibit at the
223:on 17 July 1964. The vehicle set the
7:
536:"Proteus-Bluebird Campbell–Norris 7"
207:-powered vehicle that was driven by
308:of 4.16 square feet (0.39 m).
788:Gas turbine land speed record cars
258:, supervised by Donald Stevens of
159:13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
63:Proteus-Bluebird Campbell–Norris 7
14:
783:Bluebird record-breaking vehicles
666:. Electrick Publications. 2014.
470:National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
109:four-wheel drive centre engined
724:Holthusen, Peter J.R. (1986).
642:"BLUEBIRD CN7 PROTEUS JET CAR"
1:
575:www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au
677:Tonia Bern-Campbell (2002).
126:Bristol-Siddeley Proteus 705
804:
601:staff writer (July 2002).
496:Campbell-Railton Blue Bird
412:Bluebird and the Dead Lake
298:double wishbone suspension
38:Bluebird today at Beaulieu
646:www.bluebird-electric.net
279:Bristol Aeroplane Company
31:
275:Bristol-Siddeley Proteus
167:30 ft (9.1 m)
577:. unique Cars and Parts
283:free-turbine turboshaft
231:Design and construction
211:and achieved the world
129:free-turbine turboshaft
607:motorsportmagazine.com
143:spiral bevel gearboxes
726:The Land Speed Record
681:. Sutton Publishing.
365:Bonneville Salt Flats
241:Railton Mobil Special
603:"The four-year mile"
201:Bluebird-Proteus CN7
27:Bluebird-Proteus CN7
613:on 25 December 2016
319:mounted (to reduce
760:on 6 February 2017
311:Brakes consist of
294:honeycomb sandwich
534:Bullivant, John.
463:Spirit of America
440:Bluebird Mach 1.1
213:land speed record
197:
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422:After the record
359:Bonneville, 1960
352:Goodwood Circuit
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189:Kerb weight
89:Body and chassis
59:Also called
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459:Craig Breedlove
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414:, published by
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384:Lake Eyre, 1963
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264:Maurice Britton
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209:Donald Campbell
95:Body style
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542:on 27 May 2009
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21:Motor vehicle
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762:. Retrieved
758:the original
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707:. Retrieved
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615:. Retrieved
611:the original
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579:. Retrieved
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544:. Retrieved
540:the original
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480:Adrian Newey
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432:
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411:
408:John Pearson
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273:engine. The
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252:Motor Panels
249:
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137:Transmission
62:
53:Motor Panels
49:Manufacturer
18:
617:24 December
581:29 December
476:Formula One
448:Bluebird K7
287:final drive
271:gas turbine
260:Norris Bros
245:Bluebird K7
205:gas turbine
777:Categories
764:18 January
546:12 October
502:References
435:RAF Debden
339:air brakes
149:Dimensions
114:Powertrain
83:Ken Norris
69:Production
418:in 1965.
391:Lake Eyre
306:Drag area
237:John Cobb
221:Australia
217:Lake Eyre
155:Wheelbase
490:See also
428:Adelaide
277:was the
256:Coventry
78:Designer
44:Overview
709:7 March
416:Collins
332:⁄
317:inboard
313:Girling
239:in the
732:
685:
444:Mach 1
374:Dunlop
302:Dunlop
262:&
180:Height
164:Length
120:Engine
105:Layout
404:Ampol
203:is a
172:Width
766:2017
730:ISBN
711:2024
683:ISBN
619:2016
583:2016
548:2012
199:The
254:in
225:FIA
219:in
215:on
779::
728:.
662:.
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605:.
591:^
573:.
556:^
514:^
486:.
450:.
372:,
370:BP
325:16
124:A
768:.
738:.
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691:.
648:.
621:.
585:.
550:.
334:8
330:3
327:+
72:1
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