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The Bloodhound Project The Car

The Car

 

The BLOODHOUND Project centres on BLOODHOUND SSC, a supersonic car that is designed not only to go faster than the speed of sound (supersonic) but to over 1,000mph (1,600km/h). It will cover a mile in just 3.6 seconds.

BLOODHOUND SSC is approximately 13.4m long and weighs 7.5 tonnes. The design is a mix of car and aircraft technology, with the front section being a carbon fibre monocoque (like a racing car) and the back portion being a metallic framework and panels (like an aircraft). The two front wheels sit within the body and two rear wheels are mounted externally within wheel fairings.

The Car will be powered by both a jet engine and a rocket, which together will produce more than 135,000 horsepower: that’s more than six times the power of all the Formula 1 cars on a starting grid put together.

Over 110 man years of effort have been invested in the design, build and manufacture of BLOODHOUND SSC.

Design

BLOODHOUND SSC is, without doubt, the most complicated car ever built. When finished, it will comprise over 3,500 parts (and 22,500 rivets), of which many have been designed and manufactured uniquely for this car. Consequently, BLOODHOUND is a very difficult car to describe in detail! Here, though, you can find out about all these primary parts of the car:

We’ve also included articles about the car’s aerodynamics, which explain why it is the shape it is and why computational fluid dynamics and vehicle dynamics are so vital to the success of the BLOODHOUND project.

You can find out more about the design of the Car in our Anatomy of the Car video series, which is being produced during early 2017. Watch part one below, and then subscribe on our YouTube channel to ensure you don't miss future episodes as they are released. 

Further reading

Once you’ve read about the car, you may find it interesting to:

LatestRelated Photos

  • Richard Noble with a model of BLOODHOUND SSC.

Cisco Bloodhound TV

WATCH: BLOODHOUND SSC's World Debut

Monday, 5 October, 2015

Bloodhound TV

BLOODHOUND TV was at London’s Canary Wharf on September 24th 2015 to record BLOODHOUND SSC being revealed to the public.

Project News

The Path to Predictability

Wednesday, 28 August, 2013

News

Dr Ben Evans looks back on what he and Ron Ayers have learnt about the aerodynamics of BLOODHOUND SSC since the start of the project ...

Engineering News

Lower Chassis Adhesive Testing

Tuesday, 4 June, 2013

News

Bloodhound SSC Engineer Chris Hannon investigates the adhesives used in bonding the components of the lower chassis together, and presents his technical assessment

Sponsor News

Rolls-Royce backs BLOODHOUND

Monday, 13 May, 2013

Press Release

• Rolls-Royce jet engine powering BLOODHOUND SSC
• First land speed record sponsored by Rolls-Royce

• Rolls-Royce ambassadors helping to inspire future generation of engineers

Rolls-Royce PLC today announced support for The BLOODHOUND Project. A Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine will be used in conjunction with a custom designed hybrid rocket to propel the car to over 1,000 mph (1,600 kmh or Mach 1.4).
Rolls-Royce will also provide financial and technical support for the project.

Cisco Bloodhound TV, Episode 21 - Stress

Stress Analysis

Friday, 1 March, 2013

Bloodhound TV

Meet Bloodhound SSC's stress analyst Roland, and find out how he makes sure the parts of the car are both strong and light.

Project News

Hybrid Rocket Firing 3 Oct 12

Wednesday, 10 October, 2012

News

The 18 inch (45.7 cm) diameter hybrid rocket test held at Newquay Cornwall Airport was a fantastic success. Here is a video clip and some of the pictures from the day.

Engineering News

Airbrake motion

Thursday, 17 May, 2012

News

Ever since Andy published his diary in April 2012, we've had many questions about how the airbrake works.

Event News

BLOODHOUND SSC Genome part 2 announced at the IMechE

Tuesday, 12 April, 2011

News

On Tuesday 12th April 2011, a team of BLOODHOUND SSC Engineers headed by Chief Engineer Mark Chapman announced the publication of the BLOODHOUND SSC Genome part 2.

Press Release

The 1,000 mph Genome

Wednesday, 11 August, 2010

News

Today, the BLOODHOUND Project publishes the Vehicle Technical Specification (VTS) for its Jet and Rocket powered World Land Speed Record contender.