Golden Arrow (car)

Golden Arrow
The Irving-Napier Golden Arrow at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Overview
Production	one-off (1928)
Designer	John Samuel Irving (1880-1953)
Body and chassis
Body style	front-engined land speed record car.
Powertrain
Engine	925 hp, 23.9 litre naturally aspirated Napier Lion W12 aero engine, ice cooling, no radiator
Transmission	3-speed, final drive through twin driveshafts running either side of driver

Golden Arrow was a land speed record racer built in Britain to regain the world land speed record from USA. Henry Segrave drove the car at Daytona Beach and exceeded the previous record by 24 mph or 39 kph.

Built for ex-Sunbeam racing driver Major Henry Segrave to take the Land Speed Record from Ray Keech, Golden Arrow was one of the first streamlined land speed racers, with a pointed nose and tight cowling. Power was provided by a 23.9 litre (1462 ci) W12 Napier Lion VIIA aeroengine, specially prepared by Napiers, designed for the Supermarine aircraft competing in the Schneider Trophy, producing 925 hp (690 kW) at 3300 rpm.

The car was designed by ex-Sunbeam engineer, aero-engine designer and racing manager Captain John Samuel Irving (1880-1953). It featured ice chests in the sides through which coolant ran and a telescopic sight on the cowl to help avoid running diagonally. The Rootes brothers, friends of Segrave and Irving, provided the Irving-designed individual aluminium body panels from Thrupp and Maberly.

In March 1929, Segrave went to Daytona, and after a sole practice run, on 11 March, in front of 120,000 spectators, set a new flying mile at 231.45 mph (372.46 km/h), easily beating Keech's old speed of 207.55 mph (334.00 km/h). Two days later, Lee Bible's White Triplex crashed and killed a photographer.