Bloodhound: the supersonic car reaching record-breaking speeds

The Bloodhound supersonic car is set to reach a record 1000mph on land. Credit: Bloodhound SSC

The bloodhound is a unique vehicle - it was created solely to break a world-record.

To get to 1000mph, it takes a lot of power:

  • A jet engine to get it up and running, normally on a typhoon fighter

  • A racing car engine borrowed from Formula 1 to kickstart the rocket, which takes the acceleration beyond 2G.

Travelling faster than the speed of sound means staying on the ground is a challenge in itself.

It has taken the team more than five years to settle on the vehicle's bullet shape.

At top speed, the wheels will rotate 174 times a second and expand during the run.

It will be driven at the Hakskeen Pan in the Mier area of the Northern Cape, South Africa.

16,000 tonnes of stone across a massive area have been removed and a track 12 miles (19km) long and two miles (3.2km) wide has been cleared, for the supersonic car.

  • The Bloodhound test action will be streamed live on www.Bloodhoundssc.com and via YouTube and Facebook from 12:45pm BST

  • Or you can watch it LIVE below: