Bluebird: The Afterlife 

Can't believe how emotional this video made me, what a machine and what a man.

I had the great fortune to meet Donald Campbell at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1960 and to speak with him for a couple of hours while he was waiting for the Bluebird Proteus CN7 to be prepared. The crash was two days later after I had left for Yellowstone. I was only 21 years old, but was thrilled to have met this fearless adventurer and refined gentleman. I'm very pleased to see the K7 back in action. Thanks to everyone involved, also for this excellent reportage.

Fabulous! I never thought this was possible. I watched her go on that fateful day in 1967, and went home to Preston feeling a bit sick that had just seen a man killed.

I had the honour of visiting K7 in the Ruskin Museum today, coincidentally it’s the 23rd March 2024 today - Donald Campbell’s 103rd birthday. I met his daughter Gina and spent a considerable time looking at K7 in awe. Incredible and a genuine privilege.

Remember the day Bluebird crashed as though it was yesterday. We are keen water skiers in those days and spent every weekend on Coniston Water with our friends. We actually got ‘up close and personal’ with this beautiful craft at the jetty where she was moored. Watched the speed record attempt with so much anticipation. Anticipation that turned to disbelief and grief when we saw her ‘flip’ RIP Sir Donald! Your were a true hero!!

As a 13 year old Aussie boy in earth-bound 1966 Donald Campbell was the Boy's Own British hero on land and water. I can still remember seeing the crash on the evening news and weeping. Donald Campbell gave us commonwealth-country boys the power to dream and a sense of derring-do, and a warm sense of pride in queen and country - England. RIP Donald Campbell.

I was lucky enough to have had Sir Donald lift me into the cockpit of the car "Bluebird" at the Melbourne Motor Show some years before his death in 1967. I was on school holidays, working at the General Store in Hepburn Springs when the morning paper (The Sun) was delivered, with pictures of his fatal boat accident splashed across the front page. So good to see Bluebird afloat again, and something of the great era of record breakers died with him that day in 1967.

Everything about this machine and the team makes me proud to be British ...........

Amazing. When it was raised, I never expected to be more than a wrecked museum exhibit dedicated to Campbell. Campbell's family knew how much Bluebird meant to him and aproved of this being rebuilt and to take to the water again. Donald Campbell would be proud.

I'm American and I've considered the Campbells and their Bluebirds to be legends of motorsport for as long as I can remember. There's a mystique that surrounds them as men driven to accomplish something unforgettable no matter the cost. To see Bluebird K7 come back to life is better than anything I could have imagined and is also the work of a man driven to accomplish something unforgettable no matter the cost.

i was 12yo that night when the TV showed the crash and i cried..and now i'm cryng again.thanks,guys,and thanks.Donald Campbell.so long.

"She's Beautiful" thats what she is. She's something special.

March 2024 I’m 44 and this has made me a bit emotional, what a machine, what fantastic volunteers and most of all SIR DONALD CAMBELL what a man an absolute legend,we just don’t do stuff like this it’s to “dangerous” bollox get it in there get it going and get it flat out !! R.i.P Sir Donald !!

To the Bluebird Project team...well done!! She looks magnificent...even at only 150 mph. Long live BLUEBIRD K-7... and long live her legend!

He was a bit behind the boat but he handled it beautifully. Spectators can criticize from the safety of the grandstand. He brought the craft home, well done skip!

That's history visiting us right there, simply amazing! Heros never die

MAGNIFICENT I have tears into eyes. Cheers to the new Bluebird team from the United States.

It was the epic Marillion song ‘Out of This World’ that inspired Bill Smith to salvage Bluebird from Coniston Water

bluebird belongs on Coniston water, the lake district. campbell is my hero. from a random 28 year old Nigerian

I'm very proud to keep the name alive. Cheers Donald Campbell, Australia

spoke to a man last week from the team Wardy (David Warby) kens son. he mentioned they are trying to raise the water speed record on blowering dam (NSW Australia) this May. good luck to them.

An amazing machine, way ahead of its time... It should now retire gracefully to a museum for everyone to enjoy...

I still have a copy of the newspaper the day it crashed - what an amazing job to bring it back to life

I was standing on the shore of Canandaigua lake with my Mother and Sister, early morning in the summer of 1957 and watched Campbell make his run on the lake. I was only 8 years old but I'll never forget the sound of that Jet engine spooling up and making the run. It was the most Awesome thing I had ever witnessed in my 8 years of life. The Bluebird was on display later at Roseland Park and I got to meet him. It was great to see the Bluebird rise again.

Donald would be proud of Bill and his team for what they have managed to do. simply awesome

Bluebird was the most unique hydroplane and iconic piece of british,great to see her restored back to her original look,the legend returns and the myths put to rest,donald will be proud and to see his machine achieve her return to many new generations of fans

Wonderful shots of a truly historic event. Well done to the team who covered this event and produced this programme. Many thanks to all concerned for bringing "Bluebird" back. I was 15 when the crash happened. At school the next day it was all we talked about. We all knew we had lost a hero and a beautiful machine.

We are absolutely speechless 😶 wow she's now worth her weight in gold what a superb restoration from John and Nora here in kidlington in oxfordshire

What a fantastic project; brilliant teamwork, and a beautiful result! Bluebird's fatal run was on my nineteenth birthday. I am an amateur guitarist, and when I heard about the restoration project I felt inspired to compose an instrumental dedicated to Bluebird. I've just recently recorded it, and I think it would be great to accompany a video. I named it 'Bluebird's Last Run'.

When i first heard K7 was being rebuilt I thought it wrong, I was surprised she was lifted in the first place, I thought, wrongly, she should be left as she was, however, she was built to go fast and it's brilliant she can push on again, doing what she was born to do. Amazing work, Rip Donald, Bluebird is in safe hands.

The words "...he pushed Bluebird too far" will forever send chills down my spine.

I was 12 years old when Donald Campbell died . I had been reading about Donald's speed attempts on land and water when I was a boy, I even made a model of Bluebird K7 while in woodwork class which sat on my bedside table. It was amazing to see Bluebird restored and back on water hydroplaning again after all these years. Well done to the team that resurrected Bluebird K7 and got her back on water.

Reduced me to tears... magnificent story.

I saw the Bluebird when I was over on the lsle of Bute Rothsey but never saw her on the water , the only time I saw on the water was on the TV , but what a machine it was - but great to have her going again - well done to all those who got her going again.

I saw Bluebird and Mr Woppit on Lake Dumbleyung in the 60s. i will never forget! It was thrilling!

Work of legends guy. Well done ! An absolute animals of a machine!

Simply amazing. From what was, for a very long time, wreckage. To get her back to even looking good is an achievement in itself but to see her float and run, and run fast, well, I'm speechless.

Bloody fantastic !!! Well done to everyone involved.

What a fantastic rebuild, a fantastic team behind her and I'm sure Donald would be proud. Proud to be British.

I was little ,just 7 years old ,when my dad told me the great Donald Campbell had died.At 7 years old ,I knew what had happened...that a brave man had died pushing the limits that he set for himself.I lived my whole life pushing my own limits.I never forgot about Sir Donald Campbell,and I know that he ,in a small way,made a massive impact on my life ..to this day.what a thrill to watch this awesome documentary,and congratulations to the teams that made her come to life.

More years back when Britain had some pride

I saw the Bluebird in 1960s when it came to Port Sea area near Melbourne.I still have Brochure somewhere..

I remember the day he died so well and I was a very young boy but it shook me to the core.

I remember this from my childhood. I was a bit obsessed with land, air, and water speed records. Kind of things that were on "Wide World of Sports". Spent my first 15 years in the Seattle/Tacoma area. The unlimited hydro-plane races on Lake Washington were huge. Actually watched "Notre Dame" flip coming out of turn four, she, "Miss Budweiser", and "Atlas Van Lines" nearly neck and neck and neck as one of the first "pickle forks", "Pride of Pay-n-Pak" was crossing the finish line, from my living room window. Campbell was a hero in my eyes, just as Craig Breedlove, Don Garletts, John Glenn, and the rest were.

This is a fantastic tribute to Donald Campbell and to good old fashioned British courage and engineering. Good work men, great vid!

Beautiful , brought tears to my eyes again , 😢

Beautiful. Love this so much. Donald has always been a legend for me. However if anyone is interested the spirit of Australia is going for her second record in the next year or two. The Warby boys could use some help to make it happen, look it up and be a part of something big!

I was 17 when he lost his life. This is a rebirth and very emotional.

A fascinating video. Maximum credit to those admirable, straight talking, engineers and enthusiasts from North Shields.

I reckon the pilot had it all under control 👍🇬🇧

Wow wow wow and wow !!!! Amazing, goosebumps all over, lump in my throat the whole shabang ❤️❤️

Incredible !! What a great thing to do ?! Revive a boat of such significant importance ! Thanks to all for the determination !!

Great piece of leadership putting the team back on track after the last run.

I have a picture of my father and signed autograph of bluebird with Donald Campbell at Coniston

Beautiful restoration..great job

I am literally the same age as the Craft. When in England in 17 I spent some time in Coniston and The Ruskin Museum where parts were at that time. As a matter of interest 40 odd years underwater she was saved by the engine. It acted as a sacraficial annode for the craft. The Magnesium engine is rotten yet the main parts recovered were all fairly much corrosion free. I also went to the Lakeland Museum as well. Where they also have plenty on Campbell. Donald Campbell is not forgotten in that area

There seem to be quite a few posters here that can't understand why K7 is an important historical vessel or believe K7 is in some sense a failure. Hopefully this will give them some appreciation of the subject:- Donald Campbell and K7 broke the world water speed record 7 times, held the record for 12 years and raised the record by over 157kph - an overall set of achievements unmatched in the history of the record. During the fateful run K7 reached a speed of 528kph - which is about 15kph above the current record. The most recent analysis of the accident suggests that, had the engine thrust not have been lost, Bluebird would not have taken off and a new record would have been established. The reason(s) for the loss of engine thrust remain conjecture. The nearest rival to Campbell's achievements on water, the much revered Gar Wood, broke the record only 6 times, using 5 different boats and raised the mark by an integrated total of less than 42kph. Perhaps only Ken Warby's Spirit of Australia - the current record holder - is of comparable historical importance to K7.

WoW!!! ... My father told me the story when I was little, this is just amazing!

Fantastic! Well done to all those that rebuilt her! Awesome!

Fantastic to see a classic back on the water

Stunning machine and breathtaking photography. Would love to see and hear her on a fast run.

Great documentary. One of the best I've seen on RU-vid. Good job team.

I had just been born when this tragedy happened, but knew of Bluebird's history and the sad loss of Donald Campbell learning in senior school. To watch this Sky News of her rebirth and recognition of Campbell's water speed achievement is a wonderful memorial to him. The volunteers, engineers and pilots, and some, have made history in bringing Bluebird back to life.

Cant believe ime seeing bluebird again and actually running is a credit to bill !what a lovely looking machine really well done mate I was born in 1960,bluebird was a spaceship in looks to us. Brilliant to see the real thing ime amazed

Another thing about that morning when Mom, my Sister, and myself watched Campbell make his run on Canandaigua lake, is that My Mom took a home movie of the run. I'll have to find it and have it digitized. I have never found another video of that run so maybe it would be of interest to others.

My childhood hero and one of my very first TV memories.....

Birebird should have returned to lake coniston to rerun on her true home and where memories were made for many people and the local people of coniston,the true spirit of coniston with donald.the legends havereturned and been remembered and at rest for the fans to visit two incredible icons of britain

I remember watching the record attempt and unfortunate crash with my Dad I was aged just 6 and have never forgot it. I never once imagined I would ever see Bluebird run again. The name's Campbell and Bluebird were the super hero's of that age both men and machine.

Simply amazing. I was 7 when it crashed, but I do remember the news reports of this tragedy. I was totally against raising her, but now,,, I think I'm ok with it. If nothing else it made his daughter very happy.

Bill has done an amazing job. He was there when it was found.....he brought Donald back from the deep with dignity......he has given life back to the boat........Sir Bill ?

What a great video. Amazing way to bring back a great piece of history.

My word shes magnificent, of a time, shes iconic. Legendary in the sane vain as concorde, spitfire et all..Rip DC

That was amazing to see her back on the water what a dedicated team absolutely brilliant .

19.20 overhead shots simply awesome!

A grand tribute to British engineering and what can be done, so many memories brought back.

Fantastic work by the whole team. Well done.

This is fantastic! Well done. I was always a fan of the Campbells.

Well done. Thanks for sharing.

Brilliant! Thank u. Great video

Not forgetting Donald's father, Sir Malcolm Campbell, who set 9 *land speed records between 1924 and 1935. He was the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph. He set 4 *water speed records, the last one in 1939, in a boat also called Bluebird.

I cannot believe they risked this beautiful machine like this, but wonderful to see in action one last time. Takes me back to when I was a mere 36.

I have a couple of 35mm slides of this way back, shortly before the accident. Bluebird always fascinated me.

This absolutely fantastic to get her back

I can’t imagine how Donald’s family must feel seeing this. Proud and emotional, Perhaps even angry. Very emotional anyhow…

Just bloody brilliant.

My granddad used to be one of Donald's dad's, Malcolm Campbell's mechanics

I enjoyed that from start to finish... I hope that they can continue to do "public Runs" for all to see. Please do not put it in a museum yet...

Now that is what I pay my TV licence for ! Really enjoyed that Top work all round.👍

Gorgeous boat! I want a brushless RC replica of this thing!

Amazing task w respect,,, well done and sure he sees his bird flying again ,,,, wow

Great Tribute to Donald Campbell who was trying to leave a tribute for his father..... not unlike what Danny Thompson did at Bonneville this year for his old man..... Some people like to live in the arena where others like to die of old age..... It's all good.... It is life......

The overhead view that is shown at 19:20 really does demonstrate how unbelievably quick that craft is.

Wow what a great thing too do and what a great family and respect too them all and it's great too see that blue bird will never be forgot and what brave men they were respect too your team and too Gina for allowing this too happen great times and I hope she will be on the water again one day I would love to see her and see her go in the water amazing

I will never forget as a 17 year old reading about and viewing the photographs of the crash in Life Magazine. Thanks for sharing this. Well done!

Historic engineering that looks wonderful restored.

Stunning machine !!!!!

I bet donald campbell is looking down with a big smile on his face seeing his Blue bird fly again

Great piece!

Really enjoyed your chat over the table. One question I should have asked ~ did Jack get to hospital? And what was the outcome? Keep on being yourselves and I’ll keep watching. Brilliant banter as usual.

Great job. The bluebird looks magnificent. Hopefully she is now safe in a museum for all to see.