![1971 Jaguar E-type Series III - drive in Lake District](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/04/13/TELEMMGLPICT000125688100_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq9ipoqzrpJx-0lCLDc3i7Wtuq59e9Yn7TJB_84_m2LUk.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Classic Jaguar E-type on the trail of speed king Donald Campbell in the Lake District
![1971 Jaguar E-type Series III - drive in Lake District](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/04/13/TELEMMGLPICT000125688100_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq9ipoqzrpJx-0lCLDc3i7Wtuq59e9Yn7TJB_84_m2LUk.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Legend has it that Donald Campbell changed cars as regularly as he changed his shirt. For a dashing speed record-holder, a Jaguar E-type was the obvious choice in the mid-Sixties. Described by none other than Enzo Ferrari as “the most beautiful car ever made”, the sleek Jaguar epitomised the excitement and glamour of the era.
Campbell couldn’t resist. His Series I model became a common sight in the Lake District as he prepared for what would be a final record attempt in January 1967. The snarl of the light blue E-type’s straight-six engine was often accompanied by a cheery wave to the locals as he sped through Coniston.
The former copper mining town was his base for a bid to smash the 300mph water speed record. Campbell died making the attempt when Bluebird K7 flipped at full throttle on its return run down Coniston Water. His mascot teddy bear, Mr Whoppit, was found almost immediately but Campbell’s body and jet-powered boat weren’t recovered until 2001.
Even today, the drive from London to Coniston requires at least five hours on clear roads. It’s impossible to imagine Campbell easing off the accelerator in his 4.2-litre E-type, despite the 70mph national speed limit introduced in 1965. After all, he had established a new land speed record of 403mph in Australia just three years earlier.
I’m steering a later V12 E-type up the M6. It’s difficult to comprehend the drama of touching the top speed of 150mph in this 1971 car. My Series III has power steering and improved brakes but I would still need the length of an aircraft carrier to bring it to a halt in the outside lane.
![1971 Jaguar E-type Series III - drive in Lake District](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/04/13/TELEMMGLPICT000125688102_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqdfhOCyCv4tVMdoC8f2tC573PvPl2uaHRAr9HwV1V-fw.jpeg?imwidth=350)
This yellow coupé is on loan from Turo, which hires out privately owned classics to wannabe speed heroes like me. Strapped to the beautifully patinated dashboard is my own Mr Whoppit, found at an autojumble. Campbell’s original mascot is now almost certainly worth more than the E-type itself.
Despite a long bonnet, an E-type is narrower than most modern cars at 5ft 6in. A current VW Golf is almost 5in wider. That helps makes the Jaguar surprisingly nimble along the B5284, heading west from Kendal.
Even in April, Windermere is awash with tourists and I’m keen to press on past Troutbeck Bridge and bustling Ambleside. It’s easy to miss Chesters, a sensational café further on at Skelwith Bridge. The shortbread alone would have brought Campbell screeching to a halt, ready to contemplate life as he sipped tea beside a tumbling river.
![1971 Jaguar E-type Series III - drive in Lake District](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/04/13/TELEMMGLPICT000125688112_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqWZZ9520Qrn8RyVs0byqFfzlaTMTxUhlzF8Rkw038U-A.jpeg?imwidth=350)
The final few miles along the A593 to Coniston are bordered by drystone walls. These appear to squeeze in whenever a vehicle approaches from the opposite direction. There’s little room for error, a fact highlighted by the occasional scrape of paint at the narrowest junctures.
The Campbell family is highly regarded in Coniston, even to this day. Donald’s father, Sir Malcolm, had set his own water speed record here in 1939, recording 141mph. The town isn’t as chocolate box-picturesque as nearby Hawkshead but in some ways remains all the better for it.
The Ruskin Museum in Yewdale Road is my first port of call. John Ruskin was an art critic, philanthropist and great social thinker of the Victorian era, whose ideas on sustainability and the environment are still relevant. A series of exhibitions here chronicle his life and the history of Coniston itself. The Bluebird wing tells the story of the Campbells and their various record attempts. The building houses the tail fin of Bluebird K7 and will eventually become a permanent home for the boat recovered by divers in 2001. The craft is currently undergoing a painstaking restoration in the North East.
![1971 Jaguar E-type Series III - drive in Lake District](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/04/13/TELEMMGLPICT000125688101_trans_NvBQzQNjv4Bq1UEfOBrhlcXMt83YVMQJhd0uAJmlXhHo_EqZ1yL9_5w.jpeg?imwidth=350)
From the museum it’s a short walk up Sun Hill to the Sun Hotel, where Donald Campbell’s team was based over the winter months of 1966. Thwarted by the weather and mechanical issues, by the time Campbell announced his bid the press had started to lose interest.
Nestling under the Old Man of Coniston, a 2,634ft fell with clearly marked footpaths, the hotel features flagstone floors and a slate bar serving excellent food. The walls are hung with memorabilia from Campbell’s record attempt, including a newspaper cutting showing his final moments.
Ignoring the temptation of a pint of Bluebird ale, I wander back down to the village green, where a memorial plaque honours the speed king and his trusty chief mechanic, Leo Villa. Campbell’s belated funeral took place here on September 12, 2001. Despite a downpour and the fallout from the World Trade Center horror the previous day, hundreds turned out to watch.
![view from the Old Man of Coniston](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/images/2017/04/13/TELEMMGLPICT000125692385_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqpVlberWd9EgFPZtcLiMQfyf2A9a6I9YchsjMeADBa08.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Campbell’s blue coffin was transported by horse and carriage to his final resting place, at St Andrew’s Church. The inscription on his grave reads “whose achievements in world speed records depict his courage in life and death”.
Bluebird was launched from Pier Cottage, now a privately run caravan park, about a mile from the centre of Coniston. A public footpath passes nearby but I’ve arranged to visit the spot where Campbell parked his E-type for the last time. After pulling on his helmet, he tucked Mr Whoppit into the cockpit beside him and waved goodbye to his team.
On a calm day, it’s easy to imagine the scene as Campbell was towed out into the lake to start his rocket engine. There’s an eeriness about Coniston Water that defies description but later, watching a film about Campbell in my bedroom at the Gilpin Hotel, I can imagine the enormous pressure he must have felt to succeed.
The following morning, I’m greeted by a concierge as I load the Jaguar. Allan Buchanan was a policeman on duty at Campbell’s funeral. “It was a grim day but everybody who turned out was respectful and waited silently,” he recalls. “Donald was a great British hero from a different era. We don’t have many of those left today.”
thegilpin.co.uk; turo.com
THE FACTS
1971 Jaguar E-type Coupé Series III
Price new: £3,139
Engine: 5.3-litre V12
Power: 272bhp
Acceleration: 0-60mph in 6.4sec
Maximum speed: 150mph
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