Discover the immersive Babs video experience
Don't miss the fabulous Babs video experience that allows you to feel the forces as if you were driving the legendary race car along the sands!
At the heart of the Museum of Land Speed are the stories of daring and invention that drove land speed record attempts on Pendine Sands. While most of us will never get the chance to try racing a two-tonne machine along the beach, we can give you the next best thing.
Our immersive video experience simulates the boneshaking vibrations, blasting wind, and ear-splitting noise of driving at speed in Babs, the legendary race car of J.G. Parry-Thomas. After a peaceful setting of the scene, the action quickly builds up, as you get a driver’s eye view of the sands flashing past as the stopwatch ticks down. It’s a thrilling ride!
The video recreates the record-breaking run that Babs made on the beach in April 1926. Driven by Welshman, Parry-Thomas, the car reached a top speed over the flying mile of more than 171mph. This made it the fastest car in the world for almost a year until early 1927 and raised the bar by 18mph over the previous record – an increase of over 10%.
Sir Malcolm Campbell, who set two land speed records at Pendine in 1924 and 1925, returned to the sands in 1927 and reclaimed the record from Parry-Thomas in his new Napier Bluebird car. However, when Parry-Thomas attempted to regain his title a month later, he was tragically killed as Babs overturned at speed. It was a stark reminder of the danger drivers faced when trying to push the boundaries of human endeavour.