By Stephen Mosely
Sir Henry Segrave’s Sunbeam Tiger will return to Southport this year, marking the centenary of when he achieved breaking the world land speed record with a speed of 152.33 MPH at this historic location.
On 16th March 1926, Segrave took the record with Tiger in front of remarkably few witnesses and, thanks to long term owner Vijay Mallya, her return will form the centrepiece of a weekend of celebrations planned around this highly significant anniversary.
The event, organised by Aintree Circuit Club and supported by Cataclean and Corkills VW, will start with an exclusive dinner on the evening of Saturday 14th March 2026 followed by a concours featuring Tiger on Sunday 15th March 2026.
The celebrations will conclude with Tiger taking to Ansdale Beach in Southport on Monday 16th March 2026 with Mr Mallya at the wheel to drive the exact course used by Segrave, exactly 100 years on from the record run.
Keep an eye on the Aintree Circuit Club website and associated social media for further information.
Sir Henry O’Neal de Hane Segrave, the Baltimore-born British national, already had a successful Grand Prix career under his belt when he turned to record breaking.
The car that allowed him to take the first of his three land speed records was Sunbeam’s “Ladybird” (later known as “Tiger”), designed by legendary engineer Louis Coatalen.
This compact, supercharged V12 car would be the last holder of the ultimate speed record that also built a successful career away from the beaches and on the race circuits.
Only a year after his success at Southport, Segrave along with Coatalen’s twin engine Sunbeam “1000 hp”, now a part of the National Motor Museum collection at Beaulieu, would be the first to take the record to over 200 MPH at Daytona Beach in America.
Visit the Aintree Circuit Club Website: https://www.southportclassicandspeed.com/
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