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Automotive

Bloodhound supersonic car makes first public runs in quest to hit 1000 mph

By Rich Haridy
October 26, 2017
Bloodhound supersonic car makes first public runs in quest to hit 1000 mph
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
View 22 Images
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
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This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
2/22
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
3/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
4/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
5/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
6/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
7/22
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
8/22
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
9/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
10/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
11/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
12/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
13/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
14/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
15/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
16/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
An early iteration of the Bloodhound
17/22
An early iteration of the Bloodhound
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
18/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
19/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
20/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
21/22
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
22/22
After nearly ten years of development the Bloodhound finally hit the tarmac
View gallery - 22 images

The Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) just completed its first public runs at Cornwall Airport Newquay. The tests are the first big outings for the car ahead of its long-term goal of shattering the world's land speed record and crossing the 1000 mph (1600 km/h) threshold.

Conceived almost 10 years ago and making its public debut in 2015, it has been a long, slow road for the impressively engineered Bloodhound up to this point.

The recent tests saw the Bloodhound complete two runs in Cornwall, reaching 210 mph from a standing start in just eight seconds. Powered by a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine, the car pulled 1.5G as it hurtled along the 9,000 ft (2.7 km) runway.

"Although 210 mph is far below the Car's ultimate target of 1,000 mph, today was a proper workout for the vehicle," says driver Andy Green. "The Car is designed for high speed on a desert rather than sprint performance off the line, but it still accelerated from zero to 210 mph in less than 8 seconds."

The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster
The car was initially fitted with a jet engine for this first run but an additional rocket is being developed to get it going even faster

These initial runway trials are being used to test a variety of the car's functions. The car's high-tech, solid aluminum wheels were not installed for this test run but instead it was fitted with reconditioned wheels from an English Electric Lightning fighter.

"Stopping a slippery, 5 tonne car, running on low-grip aircraft tyres, is a challenge within the relatively limited length of the 2.7 km runway here, particularly as the Car continues accelerating after I lift off the throttle," says Green.

"I discovered during the initial dynamic tests that to get the Car to 200mph, I would have to take my foot off the throttle at 130mph as it then carries on accelerating for another 2 seconds. And then to slow down, I need to apply gentle pressure to the brakes for 2 seconds to 'warm up' the carbon fibre disk brakes before applying full force on the brakes to stop the Car."

This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020
This first public test run for the Bloodhound easily reached a speed over 200 mph and the team hope to cross the 1000 mph threshold in 2020

The team will gear up for an even faster run next year, with the ultimate goal of crossing 1000 mph on a dry lake bed at Hakskeen Pan in South Africa in 2020. A rocket is currently being developed by Nammo to propel the car up to the record-breaking speed.

Check out the photo gallery for a closer look at the Bloodhound during these first exciting test runs.

Source: Bloodhound SSC

View gallery - 22 images

Tags

AutomotiveSupersonicWorld RecordsBloodhound SSC
6 comments
Rich Haridy
Rich Haridy
Rich has written for a number of online and print publications over the last decade while also acting as film critic for several radio broadcasters and podcasts. His interests focus on psychedelic science, new media, and science oddities. Rich completed his Masters degree in the Arts back in 2013 before joining New Atlas in 2016.

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6 comments
guzmanchinky
This is amazing! But what's the point, exactly?
Bricorn
Agreed, this is a missile that touches the ground. To have validity as a land speed record, IMO, it should be wheel driven.
Tacky-on
Glad to see I am not the only Buckaroo Banzai fan left in the world. Still kinda shocked that someone would actually build the car from the movie, that is quite a homage.
But did he encounter Lectroids from Planet 10 across the 8th dimension?
That is the question that needs be asked of the driver. Before its too late.
Gregg Eshelman
I want to see someone refurbish the Budweiser Rocket to see if it can go supersonic, as was claimed in a one way run in 1979, timed by the NHRA and tracked by USAF RADAR.
Daishi
At speed it's essentially very low altitude flight as the aerodynamic forces on the vehicle are much more powerful than gravity. Because of this if I were to attempt to engineer such a vehicle rather than scale up an automobile for those speeds I would start with a plane and design it to touch the ground at speed and go from there.
pres
When they convert it to rocket power what will they do with the large air intake needed for the turbine?