Name of the Project
Bloodhound supersonic car (SSC) project.

Location
UK and South Africa.

Client
Founder sponsors include Swansea University, the Engineering and Sciences Research Council, the Serco group, the University of the West of England and STP.

Project Description
The project involves the construction of, possibly, the world’s fastest car.

The SSC is an amalgamation of car and aircraft technology, with the front half being a carbon-fibre monocoque, similar to that of a racing car, and the back half being a metallic frame, with panels like those of an aircraft. It is expected to reach a speed of more than 1 600 km/h.

The Bloodhound will have a slender, 14-m-long body, with two front wheels mounted within the body and two rear wheels mounted externally within the wheel fairings.

Jobs to Be Created
Not stated.

Value
R515-million.

Duration
The Bloodhound is expected to make its 1 609 km/h run in 2018.

Latest Developments
"We came to show the world Bloodhound is go,” Bloodhound SCC driver Andy Green has said.

In October, the Bloodhound proved to be top dog as it successfully concluded its first official run, stretching its legs at 322 km/h on the Newquay Airport runway, in Cornwall, in the UK.

The car spent 22 minutes on the runway, completing two runs.

The vehicle travelled from zero to 322 km/h in under 8 seconds, accelerating at 1.5 G.

The Bloodhound team gathered valuable information, from the Newquay run, such as brake temperatures, with the brakes heating up to nearly 1 000 ºC.

The Newquay run was the start of the Bloodhound team’s campaign to be the first to break the 1 000 mph (1 609 km/h) limit in a car.

The Bloodhound – 13.4 m long and weighing 7.5 t – will aim to break the record on Hakskeen Pan, in the Northern Cape, in 2018 or 2019, should the team secure the necessary funding for an extended desert campaign.

There is no scope to increase speeds significantly in the UK, as there is no runway long enough or tyres available to withstand the loads generated by the Bloodhound SSC beyond 402 km/h.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Castrol (lubricants, brake and hydraulic fluids), Poynting (antennas).

On Budget and on Time?
The land-speed record attempt has been postponed to 2018. Initially planned for 2015, the UK-driven record attempt has faced a number of deferments, owing largely to budgetary constraints.

Contact Details for Project Information
Mettle PR, on behalf of Bloodhound, Jules Tipler, tel +44 7811 166 796 or email jules.tipler@mettlepr.com.