Two men were the center of attention in the mid-twenties because they were the fastest drivers in the world.
One was John Godfrey Parry-Thomas. Based on a racing car chassis of the time and a V12 Liberty engine with a displacement of 27 liters, taken from a bomber plane, he built the fastest car in the world, called BABS. The engine produced 500 to 600 hp, and Parry-Thomas drove it at 272.403 km/h on April 27, 1926 and even 275.271 km/h on April 28, 1926.
But on February 4, 1927, a certain Malcom Campbell in his Bluebird Napier Campbell took the record from him, 281.381 km/h was the new world record.
Parry-Thomas was not going to stand for that. He dismantled his racing car and optimized it. On March 3, 1927, despite the flu and miserable weather conditions, he wanted to reclaim the record. He managed 270 km/h during the first test runs, but then the car began to skid, overturned and burst into flames. John Godfrey Parry-Thomas was killed instantly and his family buried the car at the site of the accident, where 42 years later Owen Wyn Owen dug it up again after learning the sad story. The car was restored and partially rebuilt. It has been roaring again since 1977 and can be seen at the Rétromobile in Paris in February 2014.
Not the Bluebird with which Macolm Campbell took the record from Parry-Thomas, but a predecessor of it, will also be on show in Paris. This is a 350 hp Sunbeam, which was powered by an 18-liter Manitou twelve-cylinder engine. The 1550 kg racing car reached 242.748 km/h on July 21, 1925 with Campbell at the wheel, but this was not enough for the military pilot and so he switched to a faster vehicle, the 500 hp Bluebird Napier. As the 350 hp Sunbeam was already painted blue when Campbell drove it, this was the first Bluebird and the start of an impressive series.
This Sunbeam, which is owned by the National Motor Museum Beaulieu, will also be on display in Paris.
The Rétromobile will take place in Paris from February 5 to 9, 2013. Further information can be found on the organizer's website.
