The Car
- How big is it?
- At 13.4m (44’) long, with wheels at nearly a metre in diameter, and weighing 6.4 tonnes when fully fuelled, it’s a bit of a beast. With a turning circle of 120m, it wouldn’t be any good as a London taxi.
- How does it go?
- The BloodhoundSSC has three ‘engines’: a Eurofighter EJ200 jet engine, a hybrid rocket engine and an auxiliary power unit providing 800 bhp.
- Power
- At maximum power, the Bloodhound SSC puts out 220 kN of thrust (that’s a lot).
- Maximum acceleration
- At over 2.5g (that’s an increase in speed of 55mph every second), the Bloodhound SSC compares favorably to a Porsche, Ferrari or even a Formula 1 car.
- Maximum deceleration
- 3g (that’s a decrease in speed of 66 mph every second) – not quite as fast as an F1 car can manage.
- How far has it got to travel?
- The track length is 10k long. The car must accelerate up to speed, maintain over 1,000 mph for one mile and come to a stop all within this distance. Considering that it will cover the one mile timed section in under four seconds, it needs to slow down rather quickly to avoid a bumpy end to the journey.
- How does it stop?
- It’s got an air brake, a parachute and disc brakes, all deployed at different times as the car slows down.
- The cockpit
- It’s got enough room for a steering wheel, two foot pedals (accelerator and brake) and Andy Green (the driver). No CD player.
- When will the car be ready?
- The build programme has started now and is expected to be completed by December 2012.
- Where will the record take place?
- In a desert location called Hakskeen Pan, in the North Eastern corner of South Africa.
- How is the land speed record judged?
- The land speed record is calculated from the average times of the car over two runs, completed within the space of an hour. The runs take place in opposite directions and the car must maintain its average speed throughout a specially designated mile long section of the track where the timing takes place.
For more detailed information on the Bloodhound SSC and the Bloodhound project, please visit: www.bloodhoundssc.com
