Just like the name suggests, Bloodhound SSC is a supercar that is engineered to travel faster than speed of sound. Currently in development, the vehicle is controlled by a driver and is equipped with four wheels, making it a car that is all set to exceed a phenomenal 1000mph and set a  new world land record. Powered by a jet and rocket engine, this pencil shaped vehicle is almost ready for its first runaway test of 200 miles per hour sometime this year. The project was first announced by Lord Drayson at the science museum in London on October 23^rd, 2008, who first proposed the project to RAF pilot Andy Green and engineer Richard Noble.

The Bloodhound however will be driven by Andy Green, who will slide feet first in the vehicle owing to its slim design, and will achieve a speed of 1000mph in just 42 seconds. Airbrakes will be deployed in an effort to slow the vehicle, and to get ready for the intense forces of the speed, Green will fly upside down in a stunt aircraft in the British countryside. The Bloodhound SSC boasts a slender design that measures 13.4 meters in length and is complete with two rear wheels and two front wheels. In addition, the car weighs 7.5 tonnes, and its engines collectively produce an upwards of 135,000 horsepower, which is more than 5 times the power of all the starting grid Formula 1 cars. Not the kind of car that you could get convicted driver insurance on.

The Bloodhound SSC is a mix of aircraft and car technology, with half of the rear featuring a metallic framework just like and aircraft and the front fitted with a carbon fiber panel just like a racing car. With regards to the shape of the vehicle, the College of Engineering at Swansea University has put in tremendous efforts into the aerodynamics by using innovative technology such as CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). Originally developed for the aerospace industry, this technology was later approved for land vehicles and hence will be used with the Bloodhound SSC.

Recently, the vehicle has been fitted with EJ200 jet engine, which provides almost half the thrust to the vehicle. Very different from a traditional vehicle petrol or diesel engine, this jet engine sucks air into it, which is then compressed to generate its power. The rocket engine of the Bloodhound SSC was first going to be the only source of power for the vehicle, which had a ton of performance advantages, but these types of engines are not as easy to control as their jet counterparts hence the idea was dropped.

The Nammo hybrid rocket engine will enable the Bloodhound SSC to sprint to 1000mph, and when combined with the power from the jet engine will generate class leading power. The design of the rocket engine is still being finalized, but will more than likely have a combination of four or five motors rather than just one big motor. The Bloodhound SSC is still being constantly upgraded with its first test run scheduled for later this year, and if successful will make it one of or the fastest car yet on the planet.