Little Book of Land Speed Records

Little Book of Land Speed Records (2015) by Liam McCann Demand Media | ISBN: 9781910540442 | Condition: Very Good There are people who enjoy driving, people who enjoy driving quickly, and then there are people who look at a perfectly serviceable motor car, decide that travelling at 100 miles per hour is hopelessly inadequate, and immediately begin investigating whether fitting an aircraft engine, a jet turbine or some other extravagantly powerful mechanical contraption might improve matters. In Little Book of Land Speed Records , published by Demand Media in 2015, Liam McCann celebrates one of humanity?s most magnificent and gloriously unnecessary obsessions: the determination to travel across the surface of the Earth faster than anybody else has ever managed, preferably without disintegrating into a spectacular cloud of expensive mechanical components. The pursuit of the land speed record is among the most extraordinary chapters in the history of motoring. It has attracted inventors, engineers, racing drivers, aristocrats, adventurers and individuals whose understanding of reasonable personal risk appears to differ substantially from that of the average insurance assessor. While most motorists are perfectly content to arrive at their destination in one piece, land speed record contenders have traditionally been more interested in discovering precisely how fast a machine can travel before the laws of physics begin expressing serious objections. The story begins in the pioneering days of motoring, when automobiles were still relatively new and the very idea of travelling faster than a galloping horse seemed an astonishing achievement. Early record attempts involved machines that now appear wonderfully primitive, frequently resembling ordinary carriages from which the horses had been removed and replaced with mechanisms of uncertain reliability. Nevertheless, the drivers possessed enormous courage, particularly given the rudimentary brakes, narrow tyres and complete absence of modern safety equipment. As the twentieth century progressed, the pursuit of speed became an increasingly sophisticated competition between engineering brilliance and the stubborn realities of aerodynamics, friction, power and human survival. Engines grew larger, bodywork became more streamlined and record-breaking machines gradually evolved from recognisable motor cars into extraordinary projectiles whose principal concession to conventional motoring was the continued presence of wheels. The British developed a particularly enthusiastic relationship with land speed record breaking, producing a succession of remarkable drivers and machines that captured the public imagination. Sir Malcolm Campbell became one of the most celebrated figures of the interwar years, repeatedly pushing the boundaries of automotive performance in his famous Blue Bird machines. His achievements combined technical ambition with considerable personal courage, at a time when speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour seemed almost unimaginably fast. Campbell was followed by other extraordinary contenders, including John Cobb and George Eyston, whose enormous record-breaking machines represented some of the most ambitious automotive engineering projects of their age. These were not vehicles intended for negotiating roundabouts, collecting groceries or transporting elderly relatives to the seaside. They existed for one purpose alone: to travel very, very quickly in a straight line. Naturally, even that apparently straightforward objective proved astonishingly complicated. At extreme speeds, the air itself becomes a formidable opponent. A shape that looks perfectly aerodynamic while standing in a workshop may behave rather differently when travelling at several hundred miles per hour, particularly if the machine begins to lift, vibrate or demonstrate an unexpected ambition to become airborne. Tyres, wheels, suspension, steering and braking systems all face demands far beyond those encountered. …