Quest for Speed: The Epic Saga of Record-breaking on Land (Evro publishing)
Barry John ISBN 978 1 910505 59 5 Reviewer’s own copy
At various times, the quest for the Land Speed Record (LSR) has grabbed the headlines: I can remember endless newspaper coverage of Donald Campbell’s efforts with Bluebird at Lake Eyre in Australia. In recent years, though, the quest to be the first to break the sound barrier or to go 1000 miles per hour has rather faded from public attention.
This excellent book will take you on a journey through the record attempts from 1898 to the present day. It’s slightly ironic to realise that the earliest records were achieved with cars powered either by electricity or steam, in Europe and the USA. The first record set by a car with an internal combustion engine was in 1902, and Barry John’s landscape-format book takes you through every attempt.
Along the way, he recalls well-known cars like Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebirds, the Kenelm Lee Guinness Sunbeam and George Eyston’s 73.4-litre, seven-tonne Thunderbolt, the remains of which are almost certainly buried in an old Wellington tip! Later cars, predominantly from the USA, have been blessed with some amazing titles, from Wingfoot Express and Goldenrod to Venturi Buckeye Bullet and, my favourite, the Nebulous Theorem.
Not every attempt was successful, of course. Some drivers and riders walked away from catastrophic-looking crashes while a number of other aspiring record holders didn’t survive their attempts, such as Frank Lockhart.
It’s not just the ‘big boys’ that feature. I love the way the author finds equal room for past and present gallant attempts, or for those who aim for class records rather than the outright LSR, including the So-Cal coupes. Motorcycles aren’t ignored either: Burt Munro has a chapter as do attempts by Lambretta and the stunning Vesco streamliners.
From the very early days when intrepid pilots perched on top of basic-looking machinery, each attempt has represented its own special kind of bravery.
For me, the real attraction of the book is that the author has not only written a very readable two-page summary of each record attempt (76 in total) but he also has illustrated the book with his own superb profile paintings of every vehicle. Brilliant!
$67 | Review by Mark Holman