The official land speed record has proven to be unbroken for amost two decades already. United Kingdom's Andy Green had made world history on the Oct. 15, 1997 when he reached 763 miles per hour in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. The car that made the world record, the Thrust SSC, was made by a group of British engineers, and this time, the same core team is planning to shatter that said record with the new Bloodhound SSC.
The Bloodhound SSC measures in at about 44 feet in length and 7.5 tons in weight. It is capable of producing about 135,000 break horsepower (a measure of an engine's horsepower before the gearbox, differential, and other factors that would result in a loss of power).
However, the project is still theoretical since the Bloodhound SSC has not gone anywhere under the power of its own engine yet. Although, it is still capable of accelerating from 0 to 1000 miles per hour in 55 seconds. In top speed, it is capable of covering one mile in just 3.6 seconds, and afterwards, it will take another 65 seconds for it to decelerate.
The Bloodhound SSC was recently showcased in London, with Martin Roper managing the events at Bloodhound Technical Center. He is also one of the Fire and Rescue officers, giving his position to drive a Jaguar Rapid Response Vehicle that will be chasing the Bloodhound SSC for support in case of emergency.
Andy Green, together with project director, Richard Noble, and chief aerodynamicist, Ron Ayers will be joining in as well. According to a report, the project was first started when rumors about a potential American competitor made its rounds.
It has been almost seven years since the Bloodhound SSC was first unveiled at the London Science Museum. And now that it is ready to break world speed records that its predecessor once set, the whole world awaits. The team will first attempt to reach the 800 mph mark, then will try it out in South Africa to hit the 1000 mph milestone.
