Lakeland Motor Museum/'Across The Lake' Mock Up

[Mentallica]

just if its any interest to anyone. I hear Lakeland Motor Museum is to re-open at its new location this week.

http://www.lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk/index.htm

plus the camplbell Bluebird Exhibition, which pays tribute to Sir Malcolm Campbell and son Donald, who between them captured 21 World land and water aped records. Highlights include full size detailed replica’s of the 1935 Bluebird car, the 1939 Bluebird boat (K4), and the famous jet powered hydroplane, Bluebird K7, in which Donald Campbell was tragically killed on Coniston Water, in 1967.

Believe this is the whole collection plus more re-located from Holker Hall. Appreciate that "its not the real K7" and that but it may be worth a visit if you are in the vacinity.

[f1steveuk]

Can't bring myself to go! When I went through a very messy and expensive divorce, Don kindly travled all the way down to Eastbourne and paid me way over the odds to buy my collection and research notes, which are all now in the Campbell Collection at Lakeland. I don't know how I'd feel if I went and saw it all again!!

[quicksilver-wsr]

You and me both, Steve - and, boy, does it hurt to see stuff go when you've loved owning it!

In my case it wasn't a divorce I was funding, it was Quicksilver. I visited Don Sidebottom at the Glasdon factory in Blackpool - I think it would be the winter of 1998 - and left there broken-hearted, having parted with some mind-boggling items of Malcolm and Donald Campbell memorabilia that had previously belonged to Leo Villa. I don't have the list handy here, but there was one of the huge, framed, hand-coloured photos of the K4 team that the six or seven key Bluebird team-members received from Donald when Donald and Leo won the Oltranza Cup. Donald had one for himself, of course, and you often see it behind him in photos of him at his desk in his office. The one I had, of course, was Leo's.

But another really special thing I parted with that day was a set of three or four photo albums that Leo had assembled over the years. Every photo had a hand-written note alongside it. The pictures went right back to the early days with Sir Malcolm and right up to the time when I knew Leo after Donald died.

I remember driving back down the M6 from Blackpool that night and feeling grim. But it was a choice between dreaming about record-breaking and actually doing it, for real, myself.

It got easier, after that trip, to part with treasured tokens. Other collectors were the recipients. There was a lot more of Leo's old collection, including literally hundreds of photos, some signed in dedication to Donald by such people as Craig Breedlove, Guy Lombardo and Juan-Manuel Fangio, and Leo's OBE, birth certificate and death certificate, and then nearly all of my old motor-racing books went the same way ... stuff I'd had since I was a kid ... and then the watch Buzz Aldrin gave me.

Would I want to go back and look at all that stuff now? Personally, no. But on the other hand, you can't take it with you when you die, so it's better to make good use of it. My successive sales raised a total of £12,000 for Quicksilver and helped bring a new speed-record project into being.

And my own feeling is that I liked the idea of the stuff being displayed for more people to share, although I've no idea if that ever actually happened.

[Graham Milne]

On the subject of K7's replica at the museum, does anyone know where the other replica is? I believe there are 2, with one of them being mentioned here. And does anyone know if the replica on display at Lakeland is the one that was used in the film 'Across the lake'?

[malcolm uk]

Of the three 'replica' vehicles at the LMM only the K4 (exhibited high up a pole at Goodwood FoS) is something like correct. But the artifacts are what makes a visit this year worthwhile (if they have the 'reserve' collection on display). It seems Steve and Nigel gathered the material from the postings above.

Were you thinking of the working Replica Graham? Otherwise known as the "tribute act" to the recovered 'real thing'. This one started to look something like Ken & Louis design but like someone undergoing plastic surgery it has some of the appearance of the original but features such as the nose are not quite right.

I know Fred knows more than me but he is bound by promises made to the owner. I have a feeling this year it may break cover. if it doesn't then the press will just have to wait for the recovered K7 to power across Coniston Water.

Malcolm

[lsrdatabase]

On the subject of K7's replica at the museum, does anyone know where the other replica is? I believe there are 2, with one of them being mentioned here. And does anyone know if the replica on display at Lakeland is the one that was used in the film 'Across the lake'?

Hi Graham, Fred here,

The K7 repica at the Lakeland museum is the one used in 'Across the Lake', and the other one (in fact the 'buck' or mould) that was used to produced the film mock-up, is now at Filching Manor. It is the one I worked on and photographed for my book 'Rainbow Coloured'.

Regards to all, Fred

[ace_chris]

Of the three 'replica' vehicles at the LMM only the K4 (exhibited high up a pole at Goodwood FoS) is something like correct. But the artifacts are what makes a visit this year worthwhile (if they have the 'reserve' collection on display). It seems Steve and Nigel gathered the material from the postings above.

Were you thinking of the working Replica Graham? Otherwise known as the "tribute act" to the recovered 'real thing'. This one started to look something like Ken & Louis design but like someone undergoing plastic surgery it has some of the appearance of the original but features such as the nose are not quite right.

I know Fred knows more than me but he is bound by promises made to the owner. I have a feeling this year it may break cover. if it doesn't then the press will just have to wait for the recovered K7 to power across Coniston Water.

Malcolm

Hi Malcolm,

I read with interest your comments regarding a 'tribute act' - what is known about this? It appears from what you are saying that it is a secret that isn't one! How cool to have a full size working K7 replica Chris

[f1steveuk]

Of the three 'replica' vehicles at the LMM only the K4 (exhibited high up a pole at Goodwood FoS) is something like correct. But the artifacts are what makes a visit this year worthwhile (if they have the 'reserve' collection on display). It seems Steve and Nigel gathered the material from the postings above.

Malcolm

I'm glad you said that as I was consultant (along with Doug Nye) on the K4 for Goodwood!!! It's actually pretty good, made form the copies of the Vosper drawings I had, even some of the fittings were supplied by the company that did so in 1938/9.

I went with Paul (F-H) to Jack Lovell's to collect the Filching "K7", and Jack didn't recognise me from the time I had visited with Ken Norris, and put him straight on the inaccuracies in the early version, so his remarks when we collected it, were, er, interesting! I painted the "buck" in some of the last tins of Leo's blue, so it was nearly right, in colour at least, but bloody heavy!!

I also recall, mid 90s, a Graham Murgatroyd offering to buy a full set of drawings for a full size, nut and bolt replica of K7, but I don't know where he went. I recall he had a company that made/supplied metal fixings.

Nigel is right though, the only solice I got from parting with my stuff, was the knowledge that it would all be seen, just not by me!

[Graham Milne]

Fred, Malcolm, thank you very much for your replies. I knew there was something about that second replica, but didn't know if it was on a public display anywhere.

Thanks again,

Graham.

[lsrdatabase]

Fred, Malcolm, thank you very much for your replies. I knew there was something about that second replica, but didn't know if it was on a public display anywhere.

Thanks again,

Graham.

Hi Graham,

I can still get into Filching, if you wish to see the K7 replica. Just email me from my site at

Regards, Fred.

'I'm just thzat bloke, who won't go away!'