In a vast hangar on the outskirts of Bristol, one of the world’s most awe-inspiring engineering projects is taking place. Behind this feat is a team of intrepid British engineers aiming to break the land speed record with their supersonic car – the Bloodhound SSC.
Reportedly capable of reaching speeds of 1000mph, the Bloodhound should be able to smash the current record of 763mph, and leave the previous winner trailing in its wake. In fact, blink and you’ll probably miss it!
The project is being led by Richard Nobel, who also directed the team behind the current land speed record. But now, 20 years later, this daredevil team is attempting to take on this challenge again – only now, they not only want to break this record, they want to demolish it.
The Bloodhound is pretty much a cross between a fighter jet, a spaceship and a Formula One car. It’s powered by a Eurofighter jet engine – on loan from the Ministry of Defence – bolted to three Norwegian Nammo Hybrid Rockets. Together these generate the equivalent horsepower of 180 F1 cars. Pretty impressive stuff!
This beast of a vehicle is also faster than a speeding bullet, not that it needs to be, as its bullet-proof too.
On the Scent
After years of testing and a few bumps along the way, the Bloodhound is now well and truly on the scent of victory. And the team behind the project are expected to make their world-record breaking attempt sometime next year.
Inspiring Engineers
Building the world's fastest vehicle isn’t the only challenge these engineers are facing either. The project is also one of a number of schemes aiming to inspire the next generation of engineers by igniting the imagination of schoolchildren.
More than 5,700 schools across the UK are currently following the project with bated breath. And this had got to be one of the most exciting ways to showcase to school kids what the engineering industry is capable of.
Project Bloodhound is a fantastic example of the British engineering industry at its best. We definitely can’t wait to see the Bloodhound in action.
As manufacturers of a wide range of high quality springs
, including as our innovative tension springs, we’re proud to be a part of the engineering industry here in the UK.
For more information about our range of products, contact us today on +44 (0) 208 663 1800 to speak to a member of our friendly team.
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