Object number: AMHT-2021-348
Object Description: Photograph of a Nimrod car racing a Nimrod Aircraft
Object Type: Photographic Material
Car versus aircraft! A daring speed race! No, this isn’t a danger-filled stunt dreamt up by the likes of Clarkson, May and Hammond for Top Gear, it’s this month’s Object in Focus.
Let me set the scene…
It was a very wet day on the 28th November 1982 at R.A.F. St. Mawgan near Newquay in Cornwall. The event in question was described as “Britain’s first ever ‘race’ between a racing car and an aircraft”. Why these particular two? Well, mainly because they both have the name Nimrod, which incidentally means ‘a mighty long distance hunter’.
The Nimrod endurance race car was from the Nimrod Racing Automobiles stable, a partnership between racing driver Robin Hamilton and Aston Martin’s chairman Victor Gauntlett. The car sported a racing version of the Aston Martin 5.3 litre V8 engine.
The Nimrod aircraft was a 50-ton anti-submarine and maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which had played an important role in the Falklands Crisis. This one was stationed at No.42 Squadron at R.A.F. St Mawgan.
The ‘race’ marked the beginning of a liaison between the squadron and Nimrod Racing Automobiles.
On parallel runways, the two challengers raced each other over a one kilometre straight course from a standing start. The times of two runs were measured and the average taken as the final result.
An action-shot from the end of the race is captured in this large black and white photograph, which measures 165 x 216mm. The aircraft has started to take off, and the wet conditions are clearly seen with the spray behind the car. Flt. Lt. Steve Smith piloted the Nimrod aircraft, and the Nimrod car was driven by Bob Evans and Tiff Needell, two of the racing team drivers.
So who would your money be on? Well, the car achieved times of 21.8 secs and 22.6 secs (average 22.2 secs) and reached about 160mph by the finish. The aircraft at full thrust was timed at 25.6 secs and 23 secs (average 24.3 secs), thus giving victory to the Nimrod car. Hurrah!
So next time anyone asks you which would be fastest, a car or an aircraft, you know how to answer.
