Tech & Biz

Supersonic car targets 1,000mph

by agdobson | October 23, 2008 at 09:58 am

184 views | 2 Recommendations | 3 comments

Pretty incredible stuff to get a car to travel at 1000mph and through the sound barrier, I remember watching the last attempt and that was quite incredible. The Brits have a great history in this kind of thing, I hope they can pull it off again.

The British team that claimed the land speed record in 1997, taking a car through the sound barrier for the first time, is planning to go even faster.

RAF pilot Andy Green made history in 1997 when he drove the Thrust SSC jet-powered vehicle at 763mph (1,228km/h).

Now he intends to get behind the wheel of a car that is capable of reaching 1,000mph (1,610km/h).

Known as Bloodhound, the new car will be powered by a rocket bolted to a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine.

The team-members have been working on the concept for the past 18 months and expect to be ready to make their new record attempt in 2011.

Bloodhound project leader Richard Noble told BBC News: "This is one of the most exciting things you can do on God's Earth; and when you've the opportunity to do it really, really well, with the latest technology, you can't resist the challenge."