1,000mph with 135,000hp. The Bloodhound — the world’s most powerful racing car — has never been publicly viewed before today. It will be on display at Canary Wharf in London.
The current land speed record is 763mph. That record was set by the same UK nationals behind this project. Andy Green was the driver of the ThrustSSC that set the current record in 1997, and Green will drive Bloodhound.
The Bloodhound project has cost £10 million ($15 million) over the past 8 years. Over 350 companies and universities have collaborated on developing the Bloodhound.
The Bloodhound’s power comes from three sources: a Rolls-Royce EJ200 Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine, a cluster of hybrid rockets developed by Nammo, and a supercharged Jaguar V8 engine which is the vehicle’s fuel (oxidiser) pump.
Together, this propulsion system will produce 135,000 break horsepower. For point of comparison, F1 racecars typically produce around 750 horsepower.
The Bloodhound’s body is 44 feet long (13.4 meters) and is 6 feet in diameter. It also sports a 3.3 foot tall tail fin. It weighs in at 7.5 tons.
The Bloodhound will first complete some preliminary trials in Oxford before heading to South Africa for high-speed runs.
“With the car now built and the track in South Africa prepared our focus is on racing in 2016,” Paul Noble, project director and previous (1983) land speed record holder, said.
In South Africa, a perfectly flat 12-mile track has been prepared in the Hakskeen Pan. The team will attempt to break the record in 2016 — they are aiming at 800mph — after which they will return to the UK to review the data. Once satisfied with their preparations, they will return to South Africa to try for 1000mph.