Photo: Bloodhound SSC
If you haven't heard about the Bloodhound SSC until now, let us be the first to welcome you on our beautiful planet we call Earth. Also, we've got cookies.
Now, back to the SSC Bloodhound, this is an international attempt (mainly British) at breaking the land speed record. Did we say "break"? We meant blow it to pieces and then nuke it several times.
The current record stands at 763.035 mph (1,227.99 km) and was set by wing commander Andy Green with the Thrust SSC in 1997. The new goal set by the Bloodhound SSC crew is to go into four digits territory. In other words, to break the 1,000 miles per hour barrier.
Nobody even knows what to expect at that kind of speeds, so there's the reason this project took so many years and isn't exactly ready to roll out just yet.
But after years of touring around with what was basically a full scale shell of the car, on the 24th of September they will finally be showing the real thing. Well, 98% of it, according to Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer. "For the last few years we've had plastic models, CGI, and last Christmas we showed a sort of Airfix Kit of all the bits we had, but this will be 98 percent the finished car," he says.
To get a sense of scale, the tail fin alone measures eight by six feet. We've actually seen that full-scale model we were talking about, and nothing prepares you for how big that thing is. And it didn't even have the fin, which almost doubles its height. And it's 14 meters in length, which equals to 46 feet.
While it will be on show, the car will be wearing its record-breaking attempt wheels on one side (solid metal discs), and those it will use during the test runs at RAF St Mawgan/Newquay aerodrome in South West England. Depending on a lot of factors, these test will take place either this winter or next spring.
Whenever the Bloodhound SSC shows up in a discussion, here's a little something that will cheer up the conversation. The "car" will be rocket powered, but there's also a 5.0-liter supercharged Jaguar V8 engine on board. You know, the one pushing out 510 hp in cars such as the XFR. Do you know what it does on the Bloodhound SSC? It's a glorified fuel pump for the rocket. Yes, this thing is serious.
Another funny fact is the car will be driven by the same man who holds the current record, Andy Green, so the holder's name won't change, only the vehicle.
The current record stands at 763.035 mph (1,227.99 km) and was set by wing commander Andy Green with the Thrust SSC in 1997. The new goal set by the Bloodhound SSC crew is to go into four digits territory. In other words, to break the 1,000 miles per hour barrier.
Nobody even knows what to expect at that kind of speeds, so there's the reason this project took so many years and isn't exactly ready to roll out just yet.
But after years of touring around with what was basically a full scale shell of the car, on the 24th of September they will finally be showing the real thing. Well, 98% of it, according to Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer. "For the last few years we've had plastic models, CGI, and last Christmas we showed a sort of Airfix Kit of all the bits we had, but this will be 98 percent the finished car," he says.
To get a sense of scale, the tail fin alone measures eight by six feet. We've actually seen that full-scale model we were talking about, and nothing prepares you for how big that thing is. And it didn't even have the fin, which almost doubles its height. And it's 14 meters in length, which equals to 46 feet.
While it will be on show, the car will be wearing its record-breaking attempt wheels on one side (solid metal discs), and those it will use during the test runs at RAF St Mawgan/Newquay aerodrome in South West England. Depending on a lot of factors, these test will take place either this winter or next spring.
Whenever the Bloodhound SSC shows up in a discussion, here's a little something that will cheer up the conversation. The "car" will be rocket powered, but there's also a 5.0-liter supercharged Jaguar V8 engine on board. You know, the one pushing out 510 hp in cars such as the XFR. Do you know what it does on the Bloodhound SSC? It's a glorified fuel pump for the rocket. Yes, this thing is serious.
Another funny fact is the car will be driven by the same man who holds the current record, Andy Green, so the holder's name won't change, only the vehicle.
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