Sir Malcolm Campbell’s 1937 world water speed record hydroplane Blue Bird K3 will run on Coniston Water for the first time in May alongside Donald Campbell’s restored Bluebird K7.
The Ruskin Museum confirmed K3’s attendance at Bluebird K7 – The Festival, creating the first occasion both Campbell craft will appear together on Coniston Water. Dave Warby will pilot Bluebird K7 during the week-long festival, whilst K3 will conduct demonstration runs throughout the event schedule.
Historic First: Blue Bird K3 has never run on Coniston Water despite the lake’s association with the Campbell family. Donald Campbell used Coniston as his primary testing venue and died there attempting the water speed record in 1967. Malcolm Campbell never took K3 to Coniston, conducting his record attempts on continental European lakes.
Record-Breaking History
Blue Bird K3 was commissioned in 1937 by Sir Malcolm Campbell to challenge American dominance of the world water speed record. After achieving the 300 mph land speed record with Blue Bird in 1935, Campbell retired from land speed attempts and turned his focus to water.
First Record (Lake Maggiore, 1 Sept 1937)
Second Record (Lake Maggiore, 2 Sept 1937)
Third Record (Lake Hallwyl, 17 Aug 1938)
The 23-foot hydroplane was designed by Fred Cooper and built by Fred Goatley of Saunders-Roe. The design brief required the smallest possible hull capable of carrying the Rolls-Royce R racing engine, the same powerplant used in the Supermarine S.6B Schneider Trophy seaplanes.
Engineering Innovation
K3’s compact layout placed the engine behind the driver, relying on a front-mounted v-drive gearbox to reverse the direction of the drive shaft and increase shaft revolutions 1:3 to 9,000 rpm. Construction used plywood laminated to order from varying numbers of veneers rather than sawn from factory-made standard sheets, demonstrating the weight-saving attention Cooper and Goatley applied throughout the design.
Breaking the design speed of 130 mph required a year of development. Campbell set his first record on Lake Maggiore near Locarno, Switzerland on 1 September 1937 at 126.32 mph. The next day he improved to 129.5 mph. The final record came on 17 August 1938 at Lake Hallwyl in Switzerland, reaching 130.91 mph.
Restoration and Modern Running
Paul Foulkes-Halbard, a Campbell memorabilia collector who ran the Filching Manor Motor Museum in Sussex, acquired K3 after years of exposure to the elements had seriously damaged the interior. His restoration work began in 1989 in a converted chicken shed. Following Paul’s death, his son Karl continued the decades-long project.
For modern demonstration running, K3 was fitted with a 27-litre Rolls-Royce V12 Meteor engine. The hydroplane ran for the first time since 1938 at Bewl Water in June 2012.
First runs at Bewl Water after restoration completion
Celebration runs marking 80 years since first world record
First runs on Lake Maggiore in 80 years, 10 successful demonstration runs
First appearance on Coniston Water at Bluebird K7 – The Festival
K3 has conducted successful trials since 2012, including the celebration of its 80th world record anniversary in 2017 and the historic return to Lake Maggiore in Switzerland in 2018, the first time in 80 years the boat had run on the lake where Malcolm Campbell set two of his three records.
Festival Significance
The Ruskin Museum statement emphasised the significance of bringing both Campbell craft together:
Blue Bird K3 has never been on Coniston Water but we feel this will be a lovely opportunity to have Malcolm and Donald’s craft on the water together. K3 will also run on Coniston Water and will be a part of the running schedule during the week.
The festival in May 2026 will feature demonstration runs from both hydroplanes throughout the week, with Dave Warby piloting Donald Campbell’s restored Bluebird K7. The event marks the first time Coniston Water will host both generations of Campbell’s record-breaking craft.
Campbell Legacy: Malcolm Campbell set nine land speed records and four water speed records between 1924 and 1939. His son Donald Campbell remains the only person to hold both the land speed record and water speed record in the same year (1964). Donald died on Coniston Water on 4 January 1967 attempting to raise the water speed record beyond 300 mph.
Photo: The Ruskin Museum
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
