We’ve been telling you about Bloodhound SSC for years – the oh-so-British attempt to break the land speed record using a car featuring both rocket and jet engines. Now we can show you what the finished car looks like, after it was officially unveiled in London earlier today. It was also confirmed that the target date for the 800-mph record-breaking run will be October 15, 2016.
Unsurprisingly it’s appearance is pretty much as even the first renderings suggested, with much of the design dictated by the aerodynamic requirements of a vehicle capable of traveling at more than 1000 mph, and also the need to package both the Rolls-Royce jet engine that acts as prime mover and the Nammo rockets that should propel it to record-breaking speeds. As we previously reported there’s also a Jaguar V-8 to act as the rockets’ oxidizer pump.
Bloodhound is being shown with some external bodywork removed to let us have a look under its skin, and also two different sets of wheels. The first of these, wearing rubber tires borrowed from a Cold War-era English Electric Lightning jet, will be used during the initial shakedown testing on a runway in the UK later this year; the solid alloy wheels will be worn on the Hakseen Pan in South Africa during the record attempts. And, if Bloodhound does manage to break the targeted 1000-mph barrier, they will be turning at 10,200 rpm when it does so.
The official unveiling has also given us a first look at the cockpit, and the display screens that serving RAF officer—and leading candidate for the world’s bravest man—Andy Green will be looking at while he pilots Bloodhound. These use three video screens to present all critical information using color-coded bar graphs that should make it immediately obvious if something has gone wrong.
Bloodhound will remain on display for another four days, with 8000 people set to visit the exhibition center in London’s Canary Wharf during that time. And it won’t be long before we’ll be able to see what this beast looks like on the move.
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