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Bloodhound’s supersonic car hit 628MPH in under a minute
Not long ago, the Bloodhound supersonic car was on the brink of bankruptcy, and the project came close to shutting down altogether. But after test runs at the Hakskeen Pan dry lake bed race track in South Africa, the car seems to be pulling ahead. It reached 628MPH (1,010 km/h) in 50 seconds, making it the sixth fastest car ever.
Bloodhound will test its supersonic car in Africa this October
The Bloodhound supersonic car project might be all about getting from A to B as quickly as possible, but its journey to date has been anything but streamlined. Since the project was announced in 2008, it's been besieged with obstacles, and last year came within a hair's breadth of shutting down completely. Now, though, it's back on track, and its team has announced a new testing timeline.
The Bloodhound supersonic car project is back in action
Earlier this month, it looked like the writing was on the wall for the Bloodhound supersonic car project, as it had failed to acquire the roughly £25 million (approximately $32 million) it needed to keep going. The team was said to be working on selling off its assets, including the unfinished car. But it appears the project is back in action with the Bloodhound team announcing the sale of the business and assets, which will allow the program to continue.
Bloodhound supersonic car project shuts down
Efforts to save the Bloodhound supersonic car project from bankruptcy haven't panned out. The team is shutting down after it was unsuccessful in securing the roughly £25 million (about $32 million) it needed from "potential and credible investors." As a result, the company is now planning to return third-party gear and sell off assets, including the car -- if you happen to have £250,000 ($318,000) sitting around, you could own a piece of automotive history. Don't expect to break records, though. Driver Andy Green warns that you'd need "a few million" to have Bloodhound SSC live up to its full potential.
Supersonic car project needs $33 million to avoid bankruptcy
Project Bloodhound, which is the quest to develop a supersonic vehicle that can break the world record for land speed, has hit a snag. The company behind the project, Bloodhound Programme Ltd., has run out of money and entered administration. In order to continue work on the project, the company needs a cash infusion of about £25 million.
Bloodhound's rocket-powered test run delayed to 2019
Hopes that the Bloodhound supersonic car project was making progress in its land speed record bid have been dampened yet again. Due to a lack of funding, trials that may have paved the way for the 1,000mph record have been pushed back to May next year, although the date of the overall record attempt taking place in South Africa -- late 2019 -- still stands.
The long wait for a 1,000MPH car
On October 28th, Bloodhound's EJ200 jet engine roared to life. The needle-shaped car sped down a closed-off airstrip in Newquay, England, as 3,500 people looked on. At first, a cone of flame could be seen at the back of the vehicle, but it quickly faded as pilot Andy Green reached top speed and hit the brakes. From the roof of a temporary broadcast studio, I watched as a line of photographers rattled off shots and jostled for position. Within a matter of seconds, the blue blur had reached the end of the runway and veered left onto a parallel strip that led back toward the starting line. It was a moment everyone present had waited nine years for.
Bloodhound preps for land speed record with 200MPH test run
It's finally happened. Nine years after the Bloodhound project was announced at the Science Museum in London, the supersonic car has completed its first test runs. At a closed-off airstrip near Newquay airport, Cornwall, the monstrous vehicle roared across the tarmac at over 200 MPH. That figure is a long way off the team's ultimate goal of 763 MPH, however, and a new world land speed record. Eventually, the team hopes to crack 1,000 MPH at the dusty Kalahari desert in South Africa. Before then, however, the team had to prove that the car was more than vapourware and broken promises.
Bloodhound's land speed record revived by Chinese car giant
Bloodhound will, eventually, maybe, probably attempt to break the world land speed record next year. The project has been hit by countless delays, but new funding announced in July has, the team insists, put the dream of a 1,000MPH car back on track. Today, it's announced a major new sponsor: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a China-based monolith that owns Volvo, The London Taxi Company and its own domestic car brand, Geely. It's not clear exactly how much money is involved, however the Bloodhound team has described it as "the largest in the history of the project." As part of the three-year deal, Geely will provide the crew with technical support too.
Bloodhound's land speed record attempt set for October 2017
The team behind the Bloodhound SSC, a supersonic car designed to beat the land speed record, has some good news and some bad news to share. First and foremost, it's secured new funding, meaning the crew can reform (some engineers were forced to take short-term contracts elsewhere) and start preparing for the action in South Africa. The bad news is that the entire timeline for beating the record -- currently 763MPH, set by the Thrust SSC in 1997 -- has slipped yet again. A slow-speed test run will now take place in the UK next June, rather than later this year. The actual record attempt will be in October, not the April-May window stated before.
Bloodhound's land speed record attempt delayed until 2017
It looks like we may have to wait a little longer to see a car break the 1,000mph barrier. After wowing crowds with its supersonic car back in September last year, the British-led Bloodhound SSC team has announced that it's pushing back its land speed record attempts after failing to secure the funding it needs.
A video tour of the 1,000MPH Bloodhound supersonic car
It's been almost seven years since the Bloodhound project was first announced at London's Science Museum. The team's mission is a simple one: to build a car that can thrash the 763MPH (1228KMH) land speed record set by the Thrust SSC in October 1997. The supersonic vehicle is designed to eclipse 1,000MPH (1609KMH) and after numerous delays, it's almost ready to hit the racetrack. Needless to say, it's an absolute monster.
World's fastest car to make 'slow' debut in the UK
We've waited years to see the Bloodhound supersonic car in action, and at last the promised day is starting to draw near. The team has revealed that its monster motor will debut at the Newquay Aerohub in Cornwall on November 17th -- however, it'll be limited to just 200mph. That's still ferociously fast, but the jet and rocket-powered car is ultimately designed to break the world land speed record at 1,000mph. Construction of the vehicle is still underway, and the tests in Southern England will be conducted before the airbrakes and winglets have been fitted. The current plan is to begin high-speed testing in South Africa next summer, during optimal weather conditions. The results will determine when driver Andy Green can attempt to earn yet another spot in the history books.
The '1,000mph' Bloodhound car is so fast it needs to be bulletproof
Designing a car that can break the world land speed record is a tricky balancing act. It has to be incredibly fast and lightweight, while also offering unparalleled protection on the track. Not only in case there's a conventional crash, either; even a tiny pebble could have devastating consequences for a vehicle travelling at up to 1,000mph. To protect the British Bloodhound supersonic car, which Andy Green will be piloting in a record-breaking attempt later this year, the team has developed special panels that are effectively bulletproof. They're constructed from millions of woven glass fibres that intentionally fray and soak up energy when hit by a fast-moving projectile. In the video below, engineers test their durability by firing a small shard from a cannon. Thankfully they're up to the task, giving Green one less worry when he tries to break the current record (763mph) in South Africa.
The Big Picture: Inside the cockpit of the '1,000 mph office'
Above is the view Andy Green will have when he attempts to break the world land-speed record in the British Bloodhound supersonic car. The numbers on the dials refer to a legend that can be found here. Among the many controls are a Rolex speedometer (54) and a 3D-printed steering wheel (68). Green's attempt is still some way off, with an attempt to break the current record (763mph, also held by Green) planned for August 2015. If successful, the plan is to attempt to break the 1,000 mph barrier a year later. [Image credit: Stefan Marjoram]
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car begins construction: 1,000mph on Intel Atom processors (video)
We saw the mockup back in July and, soon, we'll be seeing the real thing. Construction of the Bloodhound SSC is underway, with a planned top speed of over 1,000mph courtesy of a jet engine borrowed from a Typhoon jet fighter sitting in the back -- and a trio of Intel Atom processors in the cockpit that will run a number of onboard diagnostics and telemetry systems. Sure, they won't be adding to the overall thrust of the thing but neither will they be putting much of a drain on the electrical system. If all goes according to plan the car will be completed by the end of this year and will start speed runs by the beginning of 2012. Maybe by then Intel will have something a little quicker to slap in there.
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car gets a full-scale model ahead of land speed record attempt
If you've been busy wondering what a 1,000mph car might look like, here is your answer. A full-sized model of the Bloodhound SSC has been hammered together and is currently on show at the Farnborough International Air Show. We reckon the reason it's there is because the real deal Bloodhound will be built by aeronatics companies and its supersonic speed will justify describing its movement as "flying." Three of the men responsible for the project, including driver Andy Green, were involved in the current land speed record holder, the Thrust SSC, which acheved 763mph back in 1997. With better aerodynamics allied to a Falcon hybrid rocket and Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, it's believed that the Bloodhound will go all the way past the magical 1,000 marker, but there's still at least a year before a shakedown run can be enacted. If everything goes well, however, they might be able to squeeze their attempt at the world land speed record in before the 2012 robocalypse. Fingers crossed.
