1,050mph car design finalised

The British built and designed Bloodhound SSC is one step closer to breaking the land speed record - it's all set to hit an incredible 1,050mph. After 18 months and ten designs, the SSC (super sonic car) is finally being built in Bristol ready for its record attempt in 2011 in South Africa.

The car will be powered by a 1,000kg EJ200 engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon jet plane alongside a hybrid rocket, which together generate the equivalent of 135,000bhp. The rocket itself is the biggest ever designed in the UK. That sort of push should take the Bloodhound comfortably past the current land speed record of 763mph achieved by the British built ThrustSSC.

The (hopefully) record-breaking run will take place at Hakskeen Pan in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, which offers a 12-mile straight 'across a perfectly flat dried-up lake bed' according to the Bloodhound gang. The team used Google Earth to help search for a suitable site, and once the most promising sites were singled out, Bloodhound driver Andy Green travelled to each to find the best. The ground has to be firm enough to support the 6.5-tonne car at 1,000mph-plus speeds.

If you can't wait for the record attempt itself, here's a promo video of the Bloodhound showing exactly what it's capable of:

Mark Nichol