Four wheels, 7.5 tonnes, 135,000 horsepower! Science, technology, engineering and Maths are all set to inspire a generation by breaking the world land speed record.
The current land speed world record is 763 mph, set by the ThrustSSC. The pioneer of the ThrustSSC, Richard Noble, now aims bigger and higher by becoming part of the Bloodhound project. The project, actually, started as a venture to get students more involved in engineering pursuits.
This 14m long engineering beauty is a blend of car and aircraft technology. The front half is a carbon fibre monocoque like a racing car, while the back half is inspired from an aircraft and comprises of metallic frame and panels.
The Bloodhound uses three different methods of propulsion including a hybrid rocket, Eurojet EJ200 jet engine and an 800 BHP V12 engine. The force created is 50,000 G. The rocket will scream at around 180 decibels, louder than a 747, and the temperature inside the rocket will reach around 3,000 °C, twice as hot as inside a volcano. This gives you the slightest idea of how big this engineering challenge is. To add more to the astounding features of the car, if it were shot straight up into the air, it would reach an altitude of 25000ft.
The vehicle plans to hit speeds of 1,000 mph on a South African plain sometime next year. And we are sure, it will be one hell of a sight to see it break the land speed record.