On October 15, 1997, Wing Commander Andy Green and the Thrust SSC set the land speed record in the semi-arid region of Black Rock Desert. 20 years after that seminal moment, the record is slated to be smashed by the Bloodhound SSC. As expected, Andy Green will once again jump in the pilot’s seat.
Have you noticed that I’ve used pilot’s seat instead of driver’s seat? Well, that’s because the Bloodhound SSC is motivated by a jet engine developed for the Eurofighter. The turbofan is expected to take the Bloodhound SSC to 300 mph (480 km/h), after which a hybrid rocket designed by Nammo will boost the supersonic land vehicle up to a theoretical 1,000 mph (1,609 km/h). But wait, there’s more to talk about!
A third engine will be used by the Bloodhound SSC as to provide power for the oxidizer pump for the rocket. That engine, as it happens, is a supercharged V8 from Jaguar. Clearly, the supersonic land vehicle is a mammoth effort regarding engineering and Andy Green is a fearless thrill seeker. What about the wheels? As it happens, this thing rides on 36-inch forged aluminum wheels designed to be very, very strong.
On a yet-to-be-revealed day in October 2017, Andy will take the Bloodhound SSC by the scruff of the neck in Hakskeen, the mud and salt pan in the Kalahari Desert. The goal? 800 mph (1,287.48 km/h). Before the run, preparations have to be made. “Bloodhound SSC will travel under its own power for the first time at Newquay in June 2017, in a slow speed (c.220 mph / 354 km/h) shakedown test,” reads a release from the project's team.
The question is, will Andy Green and the Bloodhound SSC break the 20-year-old record the coming October? Bloodhound SSC project director Richard Noble is confident they will. “Bloodhound is now in race preparation which means the pace and the pressure will ramp up but so too will the sense of satisfaction as we head towards our car breaking the sound barrier for the first time, with the world watching,” declared the Scottish entrepreneur who directed the Thrust SSC project and held the land speed record between 1983 and 1997.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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