Bloodhound, World’s Fastest Supersonic Racecar, Reaches Speeds Of 1,000 mph
After eight years of research, design, development, and countless company and university assistance, the Bloodhound Project has finally unveiled its supersonic racecar, Bloodhound SSC, which its creators boast to be the world’s fastest and most advanced.
The Land Speed Racer, developed by a team of Formula 1 and aerospace experts with help from the Army’s Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and technicians from the RAFs 71 Squadron who built the tail fin, uses jet and rocket motors to produce a 135,000 hp thrust, more than seven times the power output of all the cars in Formula 1 combined, according to the Bloodhound Project.
The car is currently on display in London’s Canary Wharf where 8,000 visitors have come to witness the record-breaking vehicle firsthand. On display the vehicle is sporting a tail fin, required for stability at high speed, for the first time and its carbon fibre panels have been partially removed on one side to show off the technology inside the car, like its Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine and supercharged Jaguar V8 engine used to pump oxidizer into the Nammo rocket.
While the car is capable of reaching speeds of 1,000 mph, the Bloodhound Project needed to make sure it did so safely, so it included three separate braking systems, seven fire extinguishers, and 500 sensors (double the amount found in a typical Formula One car.
Bloodhound incorporates custom-made Rolex instruments just in case the digital read-outs fail. The driver can use them to time the release of the car’s parachutes and when to apply the wheel brakes. “If he brings them in too soon, at speeds above 250 mph, for example, they could burst into flame,” according to a news release.
The team has also included 12 built-in cameras so that the entire first ride will be live for public viewing.
The vehicle will race to set its first record next year, targeting speeds of 800 mph, in South Africa.
For more information visit the Bloodhound Project.
