Bloodhound Supersonic Car Completes Initial Testing, Hopes to Surpass Mach 1
It has been a long time since anybody set a new land-speed record. In the early days, it seemed like a new benchmark was set every couple of years but the current bar hasn’t budged since 1997 — when Andy Green screamed across Black Rock in the Thrust SSC at a mind-warping 763 mph.
There is a new jet-propelled “automobile” preparing to break that record, backed by a multi-million-dollar venture between Geely Automobiles, Rolls-Royce, and anyone else interested in seeing a wheeled rocket scoot across the ground at supersonic speeds. There will not, however, be a new driver. Andy Green will be reprising his role as the fastest man on sand whilst piloting the Bloodhound SSC in South Africa.
That’s a ways off, though. The Bloodhound has only just completed initial trials in the United Kingdom hitting 200 miles per hour in nine seconds. With enough room to run, Green thinks it could easily break the world record within a few years.
“We came here to say Bloodhound is Go! And that’s exactly what we managed to demonstrate today,” Green said after successfully testing the vehicle at Cornwall Airport in Newquay, England, this weekend. “The performance, the handling, the stability of it — I can’t fault the car at all, it just worked brilliantly.”
Using a combination of car and aircraft technology, the front section of the vehicle uses a carbon-fiber monocoque with a metallic framework for the tail section. The front wheels sit within the body to improve aerodynamics while the rear wheels are mounted externally within fairings. It’s powered by three engines: a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine and Nammo rocket cluster provide the trust, while a supercharged V8 (provided by Jaguar) serves as an auxiliary power unit and drives the rocket oxidizer pump. Total thrust is estimated at about 135,000 horsepower.
The Bloodhound project was launched in 2008 with the singular objective of designing a car able to reach speeds above 1,000 mph. Roughly 30 million pounds ($39.49 million) have already gone into its development but that price tag could double by the time it makes a drive for the record.
[Image: The Bloodhound Project]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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I hope they had a rope or fence to protect those spectators in case the rocket car lost control....
If there's no drive train, ie if the wheels aren't driven by the engine, it's not so much a car as a rocket on a skateboard. Horrible waste of time and money, but then I think of McLaren-Honda in F1...