Images by: Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale and CofGâr, Carmarthenshire County Council Museums and Arts Service
Away from the bright lights, and tucked away in West Wales is the village of Pendine, which lies on a wind swept stretch of the Carmarthen Bay coast. Pendine Sands, a popular holiday resort, offers a 7-mile flat beach and attracts thousands of visitors every year who come to enjoy the majesty of this unspoiled corner of Wales. Driving your car down onto the sand certainly has its appeal for some, but over the last century, this stretch of beach has also proved a major drawcard for numerous world land speed record attempts.
Caption: Zef Eisenberg is hugged by his team after setting a new land speed record with his Porsche 911 Turbo S at Pendine Sands in May 2019. Virtual Motorpix/Glen Smale
The beauty of Pendine Sands, which stretches from Gilman Point in the west to Laugharne Sands (home to the famous Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas) in the east, lies in its raw and natural character. With promises of not only miles of flat beach on offer, the visitor to Pendine can truly enjoy the chance to escape the pressures of life and work. But underlying the calm and tranquil surface, lies a history of fierce rivalry, tough competition and international fame. On certain days in the year, the sound of highly tuned race engines can be heard as competitors line up to test their skill in speed trials on the beach. In fact, much of the village’s history over the last century is tightly intertwined with that of land speed records, with all the tragedy and success that goes with the sport.
The Rise of Land Speed Attempts
This prophetic quote by John, Second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, a motoring pioneer from the turn of the twentieth century, perhaps best illustrated the future of the early motor car, “What is the future of automobilism? That it will replace nearly every other kind of traction upon the surface of the earth, I have but little doubt.” This quote formed part of an article which he wrote in 1906, and which went on to predict how the automobile would positively influence industry, agriculture, international tourism, as well as the social and political landscape around the world. These were surely the words of a true motoring visionary, and how accurate this statement would prove to be.
No sooner had the first cars appeared towards the end of the 19th century to an astonished public, than men were trying to see how fast they could go, making the challenge of land speed record breaking almost as old as the motor car itself. No less than six successful attempts were made on this prestigious crown in the nineteenth century alone, all with electrically driven vehicles. Known as inventors, the early motor manufacturers were true pioneers, but the men who piloted these inventions were an even more adventurous and courageous lot.
As vehicles developed greater performance capabilities, so the number of attempts at the land speed record crown also increased. Even in those early days, speed records were regularly changing hands,spurred on by great rivalry between proud adversaries. The ‘century’ (100 miles per hour or 160 kilometres per hour) was however regarded as the magical figure and sought after by all contenders. Henry Ford also had a go at lifting this illustrious crown when in January 1904, he achieved 91.34 miles per hour (147 kilometres per hour) in a vehicle of his own design, naturally, on the frozen surface of Lake St. Clair, Michigan.
In 1920, the rules were changed requiring a land speed record attempt to comprise two passes across the same course. A competitor had to leave the start line and upon reaching the end of the course, pause for a predetermined time, before returning to the start/finish line in the opposite direction. This rule negated the advantage of a one-way run with wind advantage, but the timed break at the turn-around also gave the competitor time to effect any brief repairs necessary for the return run.
Pendine Sands
As vehicle speeds increased, public roads were soon considered unsafe and unsuitable for record breaking attempts. Those seeking to set increasingly faster land speed records were forced to look further afield, with venues such as Daytona Beach (USA), Verneuk Pan (South Africa), Pendine Sands (Wales) and others, all being considered.
Although it cannot boast to have produced the first automobile, British motor engineers wasted no time in catching up with the rest of the world, and were soon producing some of the finest automotive machinery in what was a fast growing industry. 1920 saw the unveiling of Sunbeam’s blue and silver record breaker. It’s engine was based on the Sunbeam wartime aero-motor, a V12 of 18.3 litres capacity producing 350 horsepower. Resembling a racing car of its day with an ice cream-cone tail, the Irishman K. L. Guinness took this vehicle to a record speed of 133.72miles per hour at Brooklands in 1922. In 1924 at Pendine Sands in Wales, Malcolm Campbell reached a speed of 146.33miles per hour in the same vehicle, and again the following year achieving 150.81miles per hour.
Count Louis Zborowski was born in England in 1895 to American parents. His father was a racing driver in those early motor pioneering days, but died in a racing accident. With young Louis growing up during this fascinating age of speed and innovation, it was not surprising that he became an automotive engineer, with a penchant for racing. He built a number of aero-engined race cars, the last of which was known as the ‘Higham Special’, as it was built at his Higham Estate home in Kent, England. This car was powered by a 27-litre, 450 horsepower V12 Liberty aero engine, the rear wheels being chain-driven.
Sadly, before the Higham Special was completed, Count Zborowski was killed in a racing accident while driving in the 1924 Italian Grand Prix at Monza for the Mercedes team. The Higham Special was then bought from Zborowski’s deceasedestate for £125.00 by Welsh automotive engineer, John Godfrey Parry-Thomas. Previously the Chief Engineer at Leyland Motors, Parry-Thomas set about modifying certain aspects of the massive aero engine, which produced an impressive 600horsepower in its completed state.
In 1926 Parry-Thomas took his newly christened ‘Babs’ race car to Pendine Sands, where he achieved a record speed of 169.30miles per hour. The following day Parry-Thomas reached 171.02miles per hour on the sands. Competition for the world speed record crown was such that Malcolm Campbellbroke that second record at Pendine in 1927 shortly afterwards. Inspired to regain his crown, Parry-Thomas gave Babs improved fairings over the wheels and an enclosed cockpit, but just a few weeks after Campbell’s record, Parry-Thomas was killed in Babs at Pendine, trying to retake that record.
It was initially thought that the chain driving the rear wheels had come off, striking the driver on the head, but subsequent investigation found that Parry-Thomas was most likely killed as the car overturned at speed and rolled. Bizarrely, Babs was buried in the sand dunes on the beach following the investigation’s findings, where it remained for the next 42 years.
Owen Wyn Owens received permission from Parry-Thomas’ family to excavate Babs in 1969, and the car was found to be in surprisingly acceptable condition. Obviously, over the decades, salt had corroded much of the bodywork, but the engine and mechanicals had withstood the ravages of its seaside burial. Some of the components were reused, and those which were too far gone for reuse, could be used as a template to remake new parts.
It took several years, but Owens’ efforts were rewarded when Babs ran again in the early 1970s, before being shown to the press at a demonstration run at an airfield near Anglesey, North Wales. Babs was housed for many years in what was then the Pendine Museum before that museum was demolished to make way for the brand new, shiny Pendine Museum of Land Speed.
While Malcolm Campbell was the first person to set a land speed record at Pendine (1924), Parry-Thomas was sadly the first driver to be killed attempting a land speed record at Pendine Sands (1927).
Pendine Sands has a varied and interesting past. Renowned aviatrix, Amy Johnson and her husband, Jim Mollison, embarked on a non-stop transatlantic flight from east to west in July 1933. The couple flew their specially equipped de Havilland DH84 Dragon, taking off from Pendine Sands with the intention of landing at the Floyd Bennett Airfield in New York. The two made it across the Atlantic without a problem, but upon reaching the east coast of America, they were forced to make an emergency landing. This they did, but the plane hit a ditch and was wrecked, fortunately without any real injuries to the intrepid pair.
‘Mad Max’ Zef Eisenberg
More recently, ‘Mad Max’ Zef Eisenberg made his mark in the record books when he became the first person to hold land speed records on both two and four wheels at Pendine. To date, Eisenberg remains the only person to have exceeded 200 miles per hour on both a motorbike and in a car at Pendine. In 2018, Eisenberg broke the 200miles per hour barrier on his Hayabusa motorbike at Pendine Sands, setting a new world land speed record of 201.5miles per hour for a motorbike on sand. Zef’s green Hayabusa motorbike, helmet and racing suit are on display in the Museum. In 2019 Zef Eisenberg reached 210.332miles per hour in his 1,200horsepower Porsche 911 Turbo S, the fastest sand speed record in any wheel-powered vehicle at Pendine.
On 18 May 2019, the author was on the beach at Pendine Sands to witness Zef Eisenberg’s attempt to break the land speed record set by TV star Idris Elba (in May 2015) in his 626horsepower Bentley Continental GT Speed. The record that Elba topped was the ‘flying mile’ set by Malcolm Campbell at 174.8 miles per hour back in 1927. Elba reached 180 miles per hour in his supercharged armchair, on his way to overtaking Campbell’s record, which had stood for 88 years. Zef Eisenberg pushed this record for the fastest two-wayflying mile to 187.962 miles per hour in 2019, and you can read the full account of that record run here.
Pendine Museum of Land Speed
Opened in May 2023, the Pendine Museum of Land Speed was created as a new home for the village’s most famous resident, Babs. But apart from the need for just a new home for this renowned race car, the new museum offers state-of-the-art ‘green’ credentials which requires very little external energy for running and heating the facility. The Museum of Land Speed houses a collection of vehicles of varying types and description, including both two-wheels and four-wheels. From the Velocipede ‘Boneshaker’ bicycle dating back to the 1870s and a Penny Farthing from the 1880s, to original body parts from Malcolm Campbell’s 1924 ‘Bluebird’ can be seen. The original Babs Liberty V12 aero engine is also on display, and much more, making it a truly worthwhile visit.
But the new museum is not just a building to house a collection of artefacts and memories relating to the speed trials, it also offers several educational displays for those younger speed aspirants. Parry-Thomas took his craft seriously, and he studied the different types of sand in the area, and selected tyres suitable for the beach at Pendine. A clever display shows visitors the important differences in the sand texture and how Parry-Thomas reached his decision. Other practical displays are evident to demonstrate the effects of wind and streamlining, making it an excellent venue for all ages.
The inaugural ‘Rising Stars’ special exhibition also highlights sustainability and was developed in collaboration with Automotive and Transportation Design students from the local University of WalesTrinity Saint David. Their concept designs explore the future of motoring and the challenge ofmaintaining personal autonomy as a car owner in the context of current environmental limitations.
Visitors can also experience the thrill of racing with the legendary car ‘Babs’, hear her engine roar, and feel the wind rushing over your face, just as it was for Parry-Thomas when he drove Babs on the beach. To this end, visitors can watch a full-size surround video in the Museum’s theatre, and enjoy a virtual experience of what it must have been like to see Babs in action back in the day..
This all adds up to a worthwhile experience, and to see how the real speed pioneers lived and excelled in their quest for being the fastest on earth.
