The Bloodhound is a supersonic land speed car built to smash the world speed record that was set in 1997 by Andy Green, who piloted the Thrust SSC to 736mph. He came on to the Bloodhound project to try to reset the record to 1,000mph. However, the 25M British pounds ($31.8M) needed to carry on with the project was not secured, leaving this magnificent exercise of modern science and technology now out of gas.
The Bloodhound SSC exists at the pinnacle of modern science using a combination of car racing and aerospace materials and technology. For power, it has two EuroJet EJ200 jet engines lent by the UK’s ministry of defense and maintained by Rolls Royce strapped to the rear. They are accompanied by a cluster of Nammo rockets to provide the thrust. To put the power in perspective, the 135,000 pounds of thrust this car is capable of is roughly equivalent to the horsepower numbers of 12 NHRA Top Fuel cars,or 159 NASCAR Cup cars. There is also a supercharged Jaguar engine from an F-type as well, however, its only function is to provide auxiliary power to drive the rocket oxidizer pump.
Aerodynamically, this record attempt came with a new set of challenges due to the sustained time at supersonic speed. As a result, every aspect of the vehicle’s design was extensively computer modeled; everything from the ride height, to shape of the wheels, and even the yaw and pitch of the whole chassis.
The project was funded by private investors and donations; however, the securing of the additional funds was paramount to the progression of the project. Since October of 2018, the organization was seeking support from technical and communication companies, but as of this morning it is evident that there no takers.
The car made a public test at the end of October at Cornwall Airport Newquay going 200mph (1/5 its capability) with all systems go. The leader of the project, previous land speed record holder Richard Noble, spoke to the success of the low speed test. “What you saw was a very stable, very safe car not going very fast [200mph], nice reheat, good flame, which was absolutely excellent.”
The next phase of testing was supposed to take place on a 11.18-mile-long dry lake bed in Northern Cape, South Africa called the Hakskeen Pan. The process would have begun at the end of 2019 with full record attempts planned for 2020 or 2021.
The future is unknown for the car and project this point. Andy Green, the car’s driver, told BBC that the car is up for sale at 250,000 pounds. “We have basically completed the main structure,” he said. “The desert is ready, we just need the funding.”
Andrew Sheridan, the joint administrator or the project told BBC, “We will now work with key stakeholders to return the third-party equipment and then sell the remaining assets of the company to maximize the return for creditors.”
With the holidays around the corner, the shell of this epic hot rod is on the market and there’s someone on earth who’d like that parked under their tree.
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