Campbell had been the first driver to achieve 250
miles an hour, but this had made him set his heart
on being the first 300 miles-an-hour man.
This would
require some radical changes be made to the Bluebird
so that he could find the extra 25 miles an hour
needed.
A major operation was begun under the direction
of Reid Railton, and the “modified” Bluebird
fitted with the Rolls-Royce engine had achieved a
staggering 272.46 mph.
Campbell realised that he
had ample power, the problem was in transmitting
it to the sand; wheel-spin had robbed him of many
miles an hour on his last run.
This was tackled by using
a special type of rear axle with a separate propeller
shaft to each wheel.
To enable the bevel gears and
crown wheels to clear each other, one shaft was shorter
than the other, so that the wheelbase on one side
of the car was shorter than on the other.
There was
no differential, and twin rear wheels were used.
The body was also changed again, this time by enclosing
the radiator in a fairing right across the front
of the car, reducing the size of the tail fin, and
placing fairings behind the rear wheels.
In this version
Campbell first reached 276.82 and eventually broke
through the 300 mph barrier.
