Donald Campbell's iconic Bluebird has been completely rebuilt - yet its future is still in doubt.
The restoration of the magnificent vessel is complete - 22 years after it was pulled from the murky depths of Coniston Water.
But Coniston's Ruskin Museum is in a legal standoff with Bluebird's restorer Bill Smith. Their lawyers have made a "final appeal" to Bill to hand it over "in one piece".
READ MORE: Join ChronicleLive's Whatsapp community for breaking news and top stories
He wants a say in its future - and could even build a 'Bluebird II' from scratch if the legal wrangle cannot be settled amicably.
Bill, 55, said: "There are three remaining jobs on it and then it is done. Less than six weeks, and we will be good to go. I hope we can work something out because the potential is enormous. It is tragic really."
Speed king Campbell lost his life on Jan 4, 1967, on Coniston Water in Cumbria whilst attempting a new Water Speed Record in the Bluebird K7 hydroplane.
His last words were 'I'm going' over the radio. His daughter Gina Campbell gifted the wreckage to the Ruskin Museum in 2006 on the understanding Mr Smith would restore it.
One of the museum's trustees, Jeff Carroll, said: "It is regrettable that we are in this position. We have issued legal proceedings to resolve matters."
Bluebird underwent trials in Scotland in 2018 to test its engines. Bill said his team has restored about "half a boat". The other half was built in his Tyneside workshop.
In the past, Bill has warned that half of the vessel - the wreckage discovered at the bottom of Coniston - could be returned to the museum.
After thousands of volunteer hours working on Bluebird, he stressed that he does not want to own the boat, only the right 'to run it on the water' in the future.
Gina, 72, described the work done by Bill and his team as "miraculous" but said that it did not give them a title to the boat.
READ NEXT:
- Look inside The Gate's new cocktail bar MOJO as it opens in former TGI Friday’s this Easter Bank Holiday weekend
- The Whitley Bay charity shop packed with designer wedding dresses and Victoria Beckham frocks - including a £6k gown on sale for £150
- Meet the Newcastle couple who found love at a speed dating event and how you could meet your perfect match
- Joe Willock's amazing Wembley gesture to former Newcastle prospect who transformed Alexander Isak's trainers
- See inside The Lowther as former Newcastle pub brought back to life with £350,000 transformation
