Twelve years ago, Andy Green OBE and Thrust SSC scythed through the sound barrier to set a World Land Speed Record of 763.053mph. Now, Green and former record-holder, Richard Noble OBE, are gearing up to attempt a remarkable 1000mph.

A mind-boggling combination of jet, rocket and piston-engined power will be used in the 12.8m-long, 6.4-tonne Bloodhound supersonic car (SSC). Starting with an 800mph bid in 2009, the car will be developed to achieve a hoped-for 900mph run in 2010 and, finally, the ultimate goal of 1000mph in 2011.

The four-year Bloodhound Project is sponsored by fuel additive brand STP – no stranger to such record attempts, having sponsored Athol Graham back in 1959, and backed fellow American Art Arfons to successive World Land Speed Records in the early ’60s at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats. Although the Bloodhound team has not yet made a final decision on the venue, Black Rock Desert, Nevada, where Green set his record with Thrust SSC, is high on the list.



Bloodhound SSC will be developed ‘in the full public gaze’, we’re told, at the team HQ in Filton, where visitors will have access and be able to see the car taking shape. It’s all a far cry from the traditional world of top-class motorsport, where developments are shrouded in secrecy.

In a further move to generate public interest and enthusiasm, constantly updated websites from both the Bloodhound Project and STP will provide full information as the project unfolds. See www.bloodhoundssc.com and www.stp.eu.



Text: Charis Whitcombe
Photos: Bloodhound SSC