Bloodhound SSC

Orionaut · 13 Jun 2014 at 09:58

http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/

An impressive piece of machinery and certainly a "Vehicle" and an awesome achievement if successful! (And a legendary way to die if unsuccessful! Alexander would be proud!

)

But somehow I cant quite bring myself to consider a rocket/jet driven vehicle as a "Car"

For me a "Car" has to be wheel driven (for which I believe the current record is about 460MPH)

What say you?

Rainagul · 13 Jun 2014 at 10:05

I'd like to see this actually break 1000mph

Mat · 13 Jun 2014 at 10:06

Saw this on TV this morning; very impressive.

Orionaut said:
But somehow I cant quite bring myself to consider a rocket/jet driven vehicle as a "Car"

If this is a car, can you classify an aeroplane as a car until the moment it leaves the ground unless the presence of wings, which cars also have, overrides that idea :confused:

john_s · 13 Jun 2014 at 14:01

Is it classed as a "car" though, or a "wheeled vehicle"?

£15 · 13 Jun 2014 at 14:43

I have thought this in the past, also. I'm sure 'the book' (whatever book there might be) has regulations on what can and can't be done and definitions, but I see this as a wheeled, land vehicle not a car in the traditional sense. The latter has to be powered at the wheels, not simply a powered, wheeled vehicle. If that makes sense.

MooMoo444 · 13 Jun 2014 at 14:46

What sort of MPG will it get?

arknor · 13 Jun 2014 at 14:48

why don't have just stick it to a tether and make a circular track for it as well......

JRS · 13 Jun 2014 at 14:55

Orionaut said:
But somehow I cant quite bring myself to consider a rocket/jet driven vehicle as a "Car"

For me a "Car" has to be wheel driven (for which I believe the current record is about 460MPH)

What say you?

I say.....that the absolute land speed record is for wheeled vehicles. This is a wheeled vehicle. And as you say, there is a separate record for wheel driven vehicles. Calling Bloodhound SSC (and Thrust SSC, Thrust2, et al right back to Spirit Of America in 1963) cars is just a simplification.

Can't wait for Bloodhound SSC to run over 1000mph and put the record well out of the reach of any other country!

Gogl · 13 Jun 2014 at 15:19

I saw a documentary on the Thrust SSC some time ago, and if I'm remembering rightly, the most prominent US teams seemed to be chasing a lightweight solution. Now it may have just been selective reporting on the other teams but if any team was going to have something like a space shuttle strapped to a giant roller-skate, I would have expected it to have been the teams from the US.

Shadez · 13 Jun 2014 at 15:44

Its an amazing machine.

My company had Richard Noble and Andy Green, come and give a presentation on the project (got a nice signed poster out of it

)

We also built the model seen in the first picture on this page http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/project/car

Cosimo · 13 Jun 2014 at 16:02

Remember reading about this a few years ago and can't wait to see it in action.

Mat · 13 Jun 2014 at 16:06

I love the fact that they use a F1 engine just as a fuel pump

The_blue · 13 Jun 2014 at 16:35

MooMoo444 said:
What sort of GPM will it get?

Fixed..

adolf hamster · 13 Jun 2014 at 17:18

iirc there's seperate records for land speed, this is just the fastest speed attainable by a wheeled vehicle that doesnt run on tracks.

sometimes wonder why no nutter hasn't just tipped a space shuttle booster on its side and bolted some wheels to it, half a million horsepower anyone?

Glaucus · 13 Jun 2014 at 17:19

adolf hamster said:
iirc there's seperate records for land speed, this is just the fastest speed attainable by a wheeled vehicle that doesnt run on tracks.

sometimes wonder why no nutter hasn't just tipped a space shuttle booster on its side and bolted some wheels to it, half a million horsepower anyone?

As the wheels would break, you need aerodynamics to stop it flipping out etc.

I like the nice analogue Rolex dials that where shown off last week.

Akagi · 13 Jun 2014 at 17:29

I've seen this beast in the flesh and looked at the engine out of the car as well. Very impressive bit of kit. (need I say that really?)

It was quite a long time ago though.

Reaper 392 · 13 Jun 2014 at 18:20

Gogl said:
I saw a documentary on the Thrust SSC some time ago, and if I'm remembering rightly, the most prominent US teams seemed to be chasing a lightweight solution. Now it may have just been selective reporting on the other teams but if any team was going to have something like a space shuttle strapped to a giant roller-skate, I would have expected it to have been the teams from the US.

is this the documentary you were talking about?
If you haven't seen it, its well worth watching

john_s · 16 Jun 2014 at 14:12

JRS said:
I say.....that the absolute land speed record is for wheeled vehicles. This is a wheeled vehicle. And as you say, there is a separate record for wheel driven vehicles. Calling Bloodhound SSC (and Thrust SSC, Thrust2, et al right back to Spirit Of America in 1963) cars is just a simplification.

I knew it had to be out there somewhere... the FIA information about land speed records was a little dry.

Even Bloodhound accept that they aren't a car:

http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/fia-world-land-speed-record

They are a "special vehicle - Vehicles on at least 4 wheels, which are propelled otherwise than through the wheels."

SickAsAParrot · 16 Jun 2014 at 14:33

adolf hamster said:
sometimes wonder why no nutter hasn't just tipped a space shuttle booster on its side and bolted some wheels to it, half a million horsepower anyone?

If you can turn it round and refuel it in less than an hour, knock yourself out!

Judgeneo · 16 Jun 2014 at 14:47

Thrust 2 and SSC are in the transport museum in Coventry, so I've seen them a number of times. seriously impressive machines, and this looks even better