Since the early 1920s the name Bluebird has been synonymous with world
speed record breaking on land and water. Driven first by Sir Malcolm
Campbell, then his son Donald, and latterly by Donald's nephew Donald
Wales in electric powered vehicles, they have consistently pushed
records ever higher. This book is the story of the design and
construction of the fastest of the Bluebirds, the Campbell-Norris 7
(CN7). This car, now resident in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu
in England, is the most sophisticated design ever produced for a
wheel-driven record breaker. Using methods and materials developed for
the aircraft industry, the CN7, given suitable running conditions, was
capable in 1960 of a speed exceeding that produced by the present
wheel-driven record holder 19 years later. Donald Stevens, the author,
was first employed by the designers Norris Brothers Ltd as a design
draughtsman on the Bluebird K7 hydroplane. After completing his National
Service in the RAF, he rejoined the company to work with the two chief
designers developing the specification for CN7, and he later became
project co-ordinator for its construction.