The world’s fastest man said celebrating the centenary of the world land speed record in Southport “has been an experience I will remember for a very long time”.
Wing Commander Andy Green OBE, a former RAF fighter pilot, took to the wheel of the Sunbeam Tiger 100 years to the day after it had been driven by Sir Henry Segrave at Ainsdale Beach on 16th March 1926.
Thousands of spectators watched in awe as Wing Commander Green took this vintage car through its paces in a unique historic event.
Sir Henry Segrave, himself a former pilot, set the world land speed in 1926 at 152.33 mph with the Sunbeam ‘Tiger’ under its original name of ‘Ladybird’.
Paying him the ultimate tribute was Wing Commander Green, the current world land speed record holder, and the first to break the supersonic sound barrier when he recorded a speed of 760.34 mph on 15th October 1997.
Speaking with Stand Up For Southport at the event, he said: “This has been an experience I will remember for a very long time.
“It has been a pleasure to be here, 100 years to the day since Major Sir Henry Segrave set the outright world land speed record here on Ainsdale Beach in Southport.
“It’s not the longest or the smoothest beach in the country for this, but it was the most convenient for the Sunbeam plant in Wolverhampton to come down to the beach and set the record.
“They did that in a car which – having driven it today – is an amazing bit of technology.
“It has the smallest engine to ever break the world land speed record. It is a four litre car, just over 300 horsepower.
“Also it must have been a massive handful to drive.
“I have been driving it on the beach at 30 mph and the back wheels are spinning around – what it must have been like to drive it at 130 mph, 140 mph, even 150 mph, I can’t begin to imagine.
“To have had a tiny glimpse into Sir Henry Segrave and the world land speed record and to see a piece of that heritage has been fantastic.
“It is a heritage which Britain still holds today. We still have the world’s best motorsport engineers, and we owe that heritage back to the days of Sir Henry Segrave and the expertise they developed then to share that today has been very special.”
Designed by Frenchman Louis Coatalen who was managing director of Sunbeam, the Sunbeam Tiger was built in September 1925 with a 3976cc V12 twin supercharged engine, thought to be the smallest capacity internal combustion engine used to take the land speed record.
It was driven by Sir Henry Segrave who had joined the army during the First Word War but transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (which later became the Royal Air Force) after recuperating from being shot.
He started motor racing in 1920 and won his first race. A successful career followed including winning the 1923 French Grand Prix, and then the first Grand Prix win by a British driver in a British car (a Sunbeam).
His Sunbeam Tiger was bought, restored and raced by Vijay Mallya, the former co-owner of Force India Formula 1 team, in 1990.
He brought his car along to Ainsdale Beach for the centenary and also drove it along the sands.
Wing Commander Andy Green OBE qualified as a fighter pilot on Phantom and Tornado aircraft, flying operationally abroad. He was promoted to Wing Commander in 2003.
Wing Commander Andy Green OBE and Vijay Mallya both got behind the week to treat spectators to an historic spectacle as they drove the V12 Supercharged Sunbeam Tiger WLSR car along the original measured mile section of the land speed record course.
The event was organised by Aintree Circuit Club and supported by Cataclean and Corkills VW.
VIP guests included High Sheriff of Merseyside Billy Hui BEM and Consort Kerry Beresford and Mayor of Sefton Cllr June Burns.
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