Bluebird Rebuild. Read Between the Lines.

[RichardS]

Why does everyone remember Donald Campbell and no one ever mentions John Cobb? Most young people have never heard of John Cobb yet his story is almost an exactly the same as Campbell's.

I have a personal memory of Donald Campbell as a TV personality and, as said before, saw his demise live on the TV. I'm not that sure that many "young people"would have any knowledge of Donald Campbell and John Cobb even less so as his crash was even before I was born (just!).

Richard

 

[Seajet]

So if someone fitted ' Crusader ', out with with carbon fibre and trolled it around rebuilt saying it was ' original ' how would that go down ?

BTW Bluebird was far sexier, just lacked that horizontal plane...

 

[Fossil]

I have been reading this thread with interest - my late stepfather, Tom Scrimshire was the man who built most of the external bodywork for the Donald Campbell Bluebirds, both the cars and the boat. He was with Campbell in Lake Eyre for the Land Speed Record attempt and was in Coniston for some of the Water Speed Record attempts. although he wasn't there on the day of the fatal crash.

Tom was a reticent man and never talked very much about his life. He was a superb engineer and spent his last years restoring vintage cars, particularly one requiring bodywork rebuilds. He was a panelbeater of genius, and I have seen him take dents out of a car's wing by using a completely counter-intuitive method of hammering into the dent, against a heavy weight, gradually popping it out.

I take no view on what should be done with the wreckage, but I do think that the restorers will not have an easy task on their hands.

 

[BrianH]

Why does no-one remember Tony Richards ?
[ .... ]
Remember Tony Richards.

I won't forget ... I was there. One of the engines passed over me and killed those in the crowd behind. No, I won't forget that.

 

[Keen_Ed]

Guess what happens to graves? They get robbed, and Bluebird K7 had already become a sitting duck for souvenir hunters and the rest by the time this feller decided to raise it. I think allowing it to be steadily removed bit by bit by thieves is the least dignified of all outcomes, and thats exactly what was already happening.

Tim

Didn't the wreck not have the protection from the receiver of wrecks, as it was in a lake?

 

[Alfie168]

Didn't the wreck not have the protection from the receiver of wrecks, as it was in a lake?

Are you saying he was down there 24/7 guarding it? I think that's what would have been needed to stop interference with such an accessible site. Looters have no respect for such things. For years the wreck location was not known,but I think there were people who always knew where it was and kept quiet. Once the location became more widely known all bets were off I'm afraid. The Manchester SBS would have been on it in a shot.

Tim