Weekly Vintage Square Shared: Famous Speed Racers on the Measured Mile, Daytona Beach, Florida (1930’s)

One of the things I like the most about postcards is researching something about the subject or era.  When I came across this one, I thought about the times I have driven my own car along Daytona Beach, however, never at the speeds these men raced.   I also grumbled under my breath about having my 1977 Pontiac Firebird towed off the beach when I wasn’t looking! Racing on the beach at Daytona stopped in 1958.   I’m not totally sure of the date of this postcard.  The subjects, however, are from the 1920’s to 1930’s.

A little bit of background,

• Over his 25 year racing career, Sir Malcolm Campbell broke the world Land Speed Record nine times, five of those were in Daytona Beach between 1928 and 1935.  Racers have long been attracted to Daytona Beach, originally racing along the wide flat sand beaches on the East Coast of Florida.  Sir Malcolm’s most famous run at Daytona was in 1935 when he drove Blue Bird V, a supercharged V-12 (Rolls Royce engine) vehicle at a speed of 276.82 mph.  His futuristic designs are said to have influenced modern car designers.  Can anyone say Batmobile?
• In March 1927, Sir Henry O’Neal de Hane Segrave drove his Mystery Sunbeam across the sands of Daytona Beach at the never before heard of speed of 203.79 mph.  This was the fastest any human had ever travelled on land!  Sir Henry later set a new land speed record of 231.36 miles an hour at Daytona Beach on March 11, 1929 with the Golden Arrow.
• The White Triplex was driven by Ray Keech and on April 22, 1928, Keech set a new land speed record of 207.55 mph at Daytona.  This simple vehicle had no clutch or gearbox, and once it was given a push start, it had to keep rolling in order to keep running.

This is a video of Sir Malcolm Campbell in the Bluebird on the sands of Daytona Beach.