here is a Video of the ThrustSSC at its record breaking attempt.
this Jet Propelled Car or better known as the Super Sonic Car (S.S.C) is powered by two after burning Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines, the ones that are found on the F-4 Phantom II Fighter Jets, the two engines produce a combined thrust of 50,000 lb.ft (the combined thrust of both turbine engines on a Boeing 737 passenger air-craft) burning 18.2 Liters of jet fuel per second, Transformed into the usual terms for car mileages based on its maximum speed, the fuel consumption was about 5,500 l/100 km or 0.04 mpg.
after the record was set, the World Motor Sport Council released the following message:
*The World Motor Sport Council homologated the new world land speed records set by the team ThrustSSC of Richard Noble, driver Andy Green, on 15 October 1997 at Black Rock Desert, Nevada (USA). This is the first time in history that a land vehicle has exceeded the speed of sound. The new records are as follows:
Flying mile 1227.986 km/h (763.035 mph)
Flying kilometre 1223.657 km/h (760.343 mph)
In setting the record, the sound barrier was broken in both the north and south runs.
Paris, 11 November 1997.*
a successor to the ThrustSSC is in the works, the mastermind behind the ThrustSSC, Mr. Richard Noble and his team are working on whats being named the Bloodhound SSC.
according to popular science’s article Zero to 1,000 in 40 Seconds;
*"a successor to the ThrustSSC, the jet car Green piloted a decade ago on Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, is in the works. Target: 1,000 mph.
It’s dubbed the Bloodhound Project, is expected to reach Mach 1.4, marking the greatest incremental increase in the history of the World Land Speed Record. A press release claims it will also exceed the low altitude speed record for aircraft of 994 mph. The release also highlights specs as follows:
"“The 12.8m long, 6,422kg (fueled), jet and rocket-powered vehicle will be more advanced than most spacecraft and faster than a bullet fired from a handgun. Its 900mm diameter wheels will spin at over 10,000rpm, generating 50,000 radial g at the rim. The car will accelerate from 0 – 1,050mph in 40 seconds and at V-max (maximum velocity), the pressure of air bearing down on its carbon fibre and titanium bodywork will exceed twelve tonnes per square metre. At this speed, Andy Green will be covering a distance equivalent to over four football pitches every second, or 50m in the blink of an eye.”
It’s not just about winning a numbers game. Proponent Lord Drayson, UK Science Minister, says it’s about inspiring the next generation of British aerospace engineers.
In addition to sponsorship funding from Swansea University, STP, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Serco and the University of The West of England, the team must raise 10 million pounds, or more than $16 million."*
the Bloodhound SSC
