Bloodhound SSC: Supersonic car at 1000mph unveiled in London

The Bloodhound on display at Ten Downing Street

The Bloodhound SSC, which goes up to 1000 miles per hour, was created by a group of engineers in the English capital. Engineers say they aim to encourage science and engineering among the youngest generation, and the car was unveiled in East London’s Canary Wharf for public viewing.

Following the exhibition to members of the public, the car will be moved to South Africa after tests are run in the South-West of England. The aim is to break the current land speed record of 763 miles per hour. This was set by Briton Andy Green, who drove the Thrust SSC in 1997 to set the record. The vehicle was the first ever to break the sound barrier, and Green set that record in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA.

Engineers have been testing and developing the vehicle for 8 years, and hope their efforts will come to fruition soon. The team will move to South Africa this year to break Green’s record, following which they aim to break 1000mph in 2017.

Made of carbon fibre, the car has 500 sensors – a staggering amount, put in perspective by the fact that ultra-sensitive Formula One cars have half that number. According to The Guardian, several F1 engineers were in fact involved in the design, with a total of over 350 companies and universities involved in the process.

Bloodhound has three power systems: a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet from an RAF Eurofighter Typhoon, a cluster of Nammo hybrid rockets and a 550bhp supercharged Jaguar V8 engine. Between them they generate thrust equivalent to 180 Formula One cars.

The vehicle will be driven by Royal Air Force fighter pilot Andy Green, who will use every bit of his skill to control the vehicle, which is as powerful as 180 Formula One cars – or the entire power of 9 Grands Prix simultaneously.

“Public interest in the project is incredible. With the car now built and the track in South Africa prepared our focus is on racing in 2016,” Richard Noble, who directed the project, told reporters.