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Golden Arrow (land speed racer)
Encyclopedia
Golden Arrow was a land speed record
racer. Built for Major
Henry Segrave
to take the LSR from Ray Keech
, Golden Arrow was one of the first streamlined
land speed racers, with a pointed nose and tight cowling
. Power was provided by a 23.9 litre
(1462 ci) W12 Napier
Lion
VIIA aeroengine
,
specially prepared by Napiers and originally intended for the Schneider Trophy
, producing 925 hp
(690 kW) at 3300 rpm.
The Thrupp and Maberly
aluminium
bodywork was designed by ex-Sunbeam engineer J.S. Irving, and featured ice chests in the sides through which coolant
ran and a telescopic sight
on the cowl to help avoid running diagonally.
In March 1929, Segrave went to Daytona, and after a sole practice run, on 11 March, in front of 120,000 spectators, set a new flying mile at 231.45 mph (372.46 km/h), easily beating Keech's old speed of 207.55 mph (334.00 km/h). Two days later, Lee Bible
's White Triplex
crashed and killed a photographer, leading Segrave to quit land speed racing briefly, only to be killed attempting a water speed record
the next year. Golden Arrow never ran again. She is now on display at the National Motor Museum
, Beaulieu
, Hampshire
, England
.
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
racer. Built for Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Henry Segrave
Henry Segrave
-External links:* * * * *...
to take the LSR from Ray Keech
Ray Keech
Ray Keech was a board track and brick track racer in the 1920s. He is best remembered for winning the 1929 Indianapolis 500, and for setting a land speed record.-Land speed record:...
, Golden Arrow was one of the first streamlined
Streamliner
A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "bullet trains". Less commonly, the term is applied to fully faired recumbent bicycles...
land speed racers, with a pointed nose and tight cowling
Cowling
A cowling is the covering of a vehicle's engine, most often found on automobiles and aircraft.A cowling may be used:* for drag reduction* for engine cooling by directing airflow* as an air intake for jet engines* for decorative purposes...
. Power was provided by a 23.9 litre
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
(1462 ci) W12 Napier
Napier & Son
D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...
Lion
Napier Lion
The Napier Lion was a 12-cylinder broad arrow configuration aircraft engine built by Napier & Son starting in 1917, and ending in the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day, and kept it in production long after contemporary designs had stopped production...
VIIA aeroengine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
,
specially prepared by Napiers and originally intended for the Schneider Trophy
Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...
, producing 925 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
(690 kW) at 3300 rpm.
The Thrupp and Maberly
Thrupp & Maberly
Thrupp & Maberly was a British coachbuilding company based in London, England.-Origin:This business was created by a merger in 1858 of the carriage builders Joseph Thrupp, who established his business in George Street in 1760, and George Maberly.As far back as the 1880s Thrupp & Maberly began its...
aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
bodywork was designed by ex-Sunbeam engineer J.S. Irving, and featured ice chests in the sides through which coolant
Coolant
A coolant is a fluid which flows through a device to prevent its overheating, transferring the heat produced by the device to other devices that use or dissipate it. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, and chemically inert, neither causing nor...
ran and a telescopic sight
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
on the cowl to help avoid running diagonally.
Lee Bible
Lee Bible was a garage operator and a land speed record attemptee. He was killed attempting to break the land speed record on March 13, 1929 at Ormond Beach.- Pre-record attempt :On 11 March, Briton Major Henry O. D...
's White Triplex
White Triplex
The White Triplex was a land speed record car built for J. H. White and driven by Ray Keech. It was powered by three 27-litre Liberty aero-engines, for a total of 36 cylinders, 81 litre displacement and a claimed 1500 bhp.A wealthy American, J. H...
crashed and killed a photographer, leading Segrave to quit land speed racing briefly, only to be killed attempting a water speed record
Water speed record
The World Unlimited water speed record is the officially recognised fastest speed achieved by a water-borne vehicle. The current record of 511 km/h was achieved in 1978....
the next year. Golden Arrow never ran again. She is now on display at the National Motor Museum
National Motor Museum
The National Motor Museum is a museum in the village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of the New Forest, in the English county of Hampshire.- History :...
, Beaulieu
Beaulieu, Hampshire
Beaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.- History :...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.