1000 MPH Car: Richard Noble at it again (Bloodhound SSC)

Automobile Magazine ^ | Oct. 23, 2008 | Evan McCauslund

[hoagy62]

As could be expected, it's certainly an ungainly thing - the rocket-shaped vehicle measures 12.8 meters long and weighs 6400 kg - but it may be more unusual than we anticipated. Though details are a bit sketchy, the press release mentions the Bloodhound SSC is powered by an "exotic combination" of jet, rocket, and piston-engine power. Now that's a hybrid...

From what we understand, the rocket's charged mainly with propelling the car to high speeds. Though it's good for that, it's unable to hold selected speeds, hence the addition of a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine kicks in. The piston engine? We hear the 800-hp V-12 engine serves mostly as an auxiliary power source and a fuel pump.

[hoagy62]

Sir Richard Noble, the man behind the land-speed-record-holding Thrust SSC, is doing it again. He's starting development of the Bloodhound SSC, and he's not settling for just a new land speed record...he's trying to hit 1000 MPH on land, which will also break the speed record of the lowest-flying aircraft (949 MPH).

You can see images of the Bloodhound on the site.

[truemiester]

I haven’t looked it up yet, but didn’t the ‘Blue Flame’ break a 1000MPh back in the 1970’s?

[Tucker39]

Hey! An old Corvette and three or four JATO bottles off a B-52 and you could have yourself one heck of a ride!

[mkmensinger]

I wonder how much that ticket will cost.

[Lawgvr1955]

haven’t looked it up yet, but didn’t the ‘Blue Flame’ break a 1000MPh back in the 1970’s?

It went over 1000 KPH, over 600 MPH.

[Issaquahking]

The Blue Flame was the high-performing, ultra high-speed, rocket-powered vehicle which achieved the world speed record on Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on October 28, 1970. The record 1065.8 km/h lasted for 13 years and was set as an average of achieved speed in both ways (617.601 + 627.207= 617.602 miles/h). The driver, Gary Gabelich, was of Croatian origin and native of San Pedro, California.

Google can be handy at times.

[dalereed]

When did they change the rules?

I seem to remember they were internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type! At least those were the rules when we held the D Roadster record in SCTA of 154 in 1954.

[mysterio]

That sounds like an interesting way to die.

[poindexter]

1000 mph? That’s crazy talk.

That thing had better have an ejection seat. I’m not kidding.

[Kevmo]

I could build a 1000MPH car. But I couldn’t build a 1000MPG car unless it was a gallon of nuclear fuel rather than gasoline.

[truemiester]

Thank you.

[hoagy62]

Probably won’t...too much weight. Andy Green knows the risk...and he still wants to do it.

BTW...here’s the official website: http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/

[dragonblustar]

[stormer]

You’re also going to need a 1000 mph road.

[hoagy62]

From what I read from the website, they’re going to search world-wide for a desert like Black Rock Desert in Nevada. They don’t think a salt flat like Bonneville is a good surface for the speeds they want to achieve. They need a place that’s flat as a pancake, very long, and available.

Black Rock is under consideration, but they’ll be looking a lot of other places.