Blue Bird K4

Blue Bird K4 was a

The name "K4" was derived from its Lloyd's unlimited rating, and was carried in a prominent circular badge on the forward hull. As this was Campbell's second boat, it was also known as Blue Bird II. He used the name for a series of land speed record cars, his record boats and also his motor yacht.^[i]

K4 was built by Vosper & Company as a replacement for Blue Bird K3, which had set three other water speed records for Malcolm Campbell before the K4 was built. It also used the same Rolls-Royce R engine.

Design

K4 was a three-point

K4 set one world water speed record on 19 August 1939 on Coniston Water, Lancashire (now in Cumbria, at 141.740 mph (228.108 km/h or 123.168 kn).

Jet engine trials

After the

Donald Campbell (Malcolm's son) had not previously attempted record-breaking, but after Sir Malcolm's death at the end of 1948, the threat of an American challenge to his water speed record spurred him to defend it. Under the terms of his will, Sir Malcolm's possessions, including the record breakers, were auctioned off and Donald was forced to buy them back. K4 was then re-engined with a propeller and one of the previous Rolls-Royce R engines.

Donald tried the boat but deemed it too slow; after another superstructure rebuild, and a final structural failure in 1951, it was replaced by the jet-powered Bluebird K7, in which Donald set several records, then died during a final record attempt in 1967.^[1]

A replica of K4 currently is on show at the Lakeland Motor Museum, Backbarrow.

References

Sources

• Harris, Fred (2000). Skimming the Surface. Ainsdale Press.
• Tremayne, David (2005). Donald Campbell: The Man Behind the Mask. Bantam Books.
  ISBN 0-553-81511-3
  .

• Lakeland Motor Museum
• "Malcolm Campbell and Bluebird K4" (photograph).