National Motor Museum begins centenary celebrations for World Land Speed Record-breaking Sunbeam 350hp
29 May 2025
The National Motor Museum is announcing a series of events to mark the landmark anniversary of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s World Land Speed Record in Sunbeam 350hp a century ago.
The summer of centenary events will start with star appearances at Heveningham Concours and Bluebird Chelsea, building towards Blue Bird’s return to Pendine Sands where it became the world’s fastest car reaching 150.76mph on July 21st 1925.
National Motor Museum engineers will start up the record-breaker at Pendine to mark the 100th anniversary and aim to take it on to the beach for a static photo opportunity, before putting it on show outside the Museum of Land Speed.
We are excited to honour such a landmark World Land Speed Record anniversary with a series of events, which will both celebrate its importance in motoring history and provide more opportunities to see Blue Bird.
Summer events
- See Sunbeam 350hp run again at Heveningham Concours when it appears at the annual show at Heveningham Hall, in Suffolk, on the weekend of June 28th & 29th.
- Join a celebratory event on Wednesday 16th July at Bluebird Chelsea, the renowned restaurant, bar and café which was originally the location of the Bluebird Motor Company. The evening will feature a Champagne reception, three-course dinner, talk by record breaker Don Wales and silent auction – as well as a rare opportunity to see Sunbeam 350hp on display. For tickets and details visit The Bluebird Legacy: A Century of Speed | D&D London | Online Shop.
- Hear the start-up of Sunbeam 350hp and see it on display on Monday 21st July at Pendine in Carmarthenshire, Wales, where it made World Land Speed Record history. More details and timings to follow.
On the road to Pendine
In 2014, completion of the painstaking rebuild of the 1920 Sunbeam’s complex V12 engine enabled a crowd of onlookers at Beaulieu to hear it roar again for the first time in over 50 years.
That led to its triumphant return to Pendine for the 90th anniversary in 2015, when National Motor Museum engineers were permitted to run Sunbeam on the beach for a low-speed reconstruction of its record-breaking run, with Sir Malcolm’s grandson Don Wales at the wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkC3DUDoKTk&t=15s
The non-original Albion 35hp van gearbox which had been added to Sunbeam 350hp before it arrived at Beaulieu was always its Achilles’ heel, as it was only designed to handle a tenth of the engine’s power and lacked a transmission brake. By 2020, a fundraising campaign helped to replace it with a Bentley C-type gearbox adapted to fit Sunbeam’s chassis with custom-made mounts – to better handle its colossal 18 litre engine.
National Motor Museum engineers used experience from the Sunbeam 350hp rebuild to more recently begin work to bring Sunbeam 1000hp back to life. Funds are still needed to complete the full restoration project – to see it run again and take it back to Daytona for the centenary of its record-breaking run in 2027. Find out more and donate.
Sunbeam 350hp timeline
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1919 |
Construction starts in Wolverhampton |
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1920 |
Sunbeam scheduled to compete in first race but burst tyre causes crash during practice lap. Harry Hawker drives on first LSR attempt on Dec 11th |
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1921 |
Kenelm Lee Guinness drives Sunbeam for first time at Brooklands. Second gear breaks but achieves second place in Long Handicap event |
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1922 |
Guinness achieves flying kilometre speed of 133.75mph – new LSR. Malcolm Campbell borrows Sunbeam to compete in Saltburn Speed Trials – but one-way run, so 138mph not officially recognised |
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1923 |
Malcolm Campbell purchases Sunbeam and paints it his distinctive colour – the first Blue Bird |
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1924 |
Campbell sets new record speed of 146.16mph at Pendine |
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1925 |
Campbell advertises car for sale at £1,500 but then achieves new record |
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1957 |
Sunbeam purchased by Edward, Lord Montagu, after passing through various owners. Restored to working order |
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1962 |
Sunbeam’s last run, with Lord Montagu and Donald Campbell at Goodwood |
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1993 |
Engine seizes in test start-up – piston and con rod shot through engine, making a hole |
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2014 |
Sunbeam start-up after mechanical rebuild – with help from Sunbeam Talbot Darracq Register to find parts |
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2015 |
Low-speed demonstration run at Pendine for 90th anniversary of LSR on July 21st |
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2020 |
New replacement gearbox fitted |
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