Automotive

Bloodhound supersonic car project runs out of funds

The goal of the project was to build a car that could reach 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h)
Bloodhound SSC
The goal of the project was to build a car that could reach 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h)
Bloodhound SSC

The bumpy road endured by the Bloodhound supersonic car appears set to continue for some time yet, with the current owners behind the venture putting the project up for sale again. Citing difficulties raising funds in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the team is on the lookout for a new investor to take the reins and finance the team’s efforts to set a new land speed record in 2022.

The Bloodhound LSR project was rescued from the brink of bankruptcy at the end of 2018, following almost a decade of development that proved too costly to sustain. Conceived as the vehicle to smash the world land speed record and cross the 1,000-mph (1,600-km/h) threshold, the business was purchased by Yorkshire-based entrepreneur Ian Warhurst and relaunched with a new headquarters in early 2019.

The vehicle went on to hit its fastest speeds during testing, including a run where it reached 628 mph (1011 km/h). But the company's history has shown, developing the machinery capable of these kinds of speeds involves some exorbitant costs, and these have again proven too much to bear, with Warhurst putting the business up for sale following this milestone.

“When I committed to take the car high speed testing in 2019, I allocated enough funding to achieve this goal on the basis that alternative funding would then allow us to continue to the record attempts," he says. "Along with many other things, the global pandemic wrecked this opportunity in 2020 which has left the project unfunded and delayed by a further 12 months. At this stage, in absence of further, immediate, funding, the only options remaining are to close down the programme or put the project up for sale to allow me to pass on the baton and allow the team to continue the project.”

The car now needs a Nammo monopropellant rocket installed in order to exceed speeds of 800 mph (1,287 km/h), something estimated to cost around £8 million (around US$11 million). If a new owner can be secured, the team working on the Bloodhound LSR car hope to make a 800-mph attempt in 2022.

Source: Bloodhound LSR

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4 comments
NikBennewitz
As far as i know the Bloodhound has no supersonicwave-dissipating floorprofile (V-shape) and was therefore outdated past the sonic barrier before the modelling even started , why did they even rescue it the last time ?
gybognarjr
It would be nice to see an explanation, what is the benefit of developing a vehicle, driven by rocket power, that does not relate to any other mode of transportation or race in the entire world.
Bob Flint
Just what is the real purpose here?
Graham Davidson
Can't respond to the first comment but having seen the project first hand at a school science event with my daughter and again at various trade shows over the years I think the idea was not just to achieve the record for the UK but also to inspire a whole generation of new engineers and scientists that will help shape future technological advances for the UK and the wider market. I know the engine was supplied on the condition that a full education package was included to ensure Govt support.