Bloodhound 'Supersonic Car' aiming for 1,000 mph speed
Published in Weird News
LONDON (UPI) -- The British team behind the Bloodhound "supersonic car" said they are planning an 800 mph world record attempt ahead of their untimate goal of 1,000 mph.
The Bloodhound team, which is made up of Formula One and aerospace experts, said the Bloodhound SSC they officially unveiled Wednesday in London is powered by a 133,151 horsepower hybrid drivetrain that includes a Rolls-Royce EJ200 engine from a jet fighter and a Nammo rocket fed by a supercharged Jaguar V8 engine.
The team said the SSC can reach 1,000 mph in 55 seconds -- covering a mile every 3.6 seconds -- but they are first aiming to take on an 800 mph run in South Africa to break the world record of 763 mph set by the SSC's driver, Andy Green, in 1997.
The team said they are aiming to hit the 800 mph mark next year in a dry lakebed at the Hakseen Pan in South Africa, with a 1,000 mph attempt to follow in 2017.
"With the car now built and the track in South Africa prepared our focus is on racing in 2016. That part of the adventure starts with runway tests at Newquay Aerohub next Easter," project director Richard Noble said.
Copyright 2015 by United Press International
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