Car first owned by world record holder to go under the hammer
An Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane, originally bought by Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE, is to be auctioned off.
The car, which was bought in 1946 by the land and water speed world record holder, is set to appear in the Charterhouse classic and vintage car auction on Thursday, June 26, at The Haynes Motor Museum, Somerset.
It is estimated to sell for between £10,000 and £15,000.
Richard Bromell from Charterhouse said: "Painted in his standard Blue Bird colour by the factory, to match all his racing cars and boats, he took delivery of the Hurricane on July 18, 1946.
"He used the Hurricane as his regular road car and this was probably the last car he owned as he died not long after on New Year's Eve 1948."
Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE first broke the world land speed record in 1924 at 146.16mph.
He went on to break nine land speed records between 1924 and 1935 and then set the world water speed record four times. After his death, the car was bought by a lady who used it mainly in France for a couple of years before trading it in to a London dealer in 1951.
It was then sold for £995 to Dr Joseph Needham, who went on to be an eminent Cambridge professor. He kept the Armstrong Siddeley for some 14 years before selling the car to a Mr Harding for £20 in 1965.
READ MORE: Somerset cider taproom opens its doors near Langport
He would keep the Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane until 1990 when it was sold again for £20 to just its fifth owner who then stored it in a damp garage where it sat decaying over the next several years.
The car was subsequently rescued and restoration started by a Swiss aeronautical engineer in 2011. Work commenced with a complete strip down to all component parts and then all metal items were either replaced, galvanised, powder coated or chromed.
All structural and interior woodwork was renewed and all electrical components replaced or professionally restored. Sadly, poor health resulted in the Hurricane then becoming a stalled restoration project.
Keen for the car to be completed and returned to its former glory, it was sold to a fellow Armstrong Siddeley enthusiast in the West Country.
He continued and completed the restoration but is now looking to sell the car due to an imminent house move.
Estimated to sell for £10,000-15,000 at the Charterhouse auction this Armstrong Siddeley first owned by world land and water speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE, restored and painted in Campbell's special 'Blue Bird' colour, will be a perfect addition to any car collection or museum.
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