Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Bloodhound supersonic car eyes land speed record after 500 mph test run

By
Nearly reaching the 500mph milestone! | #2019HST

Recommended Videos
Above: The Bloodhound supersonic car reaching 491 mph prior to its 501 mph run.
Related

The Bloodhound supersonic car project that appeared to be dead and buried a year ago is very much back on track — and gathering speed.

On Wednesday the jet- and rocket-powered vehicle blasted through the 500-mph barrier in the latest of a series of test runs this week at the Hakskeenpan salt pan in southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert.

The final speed was clocked at a breathtaking 501 mph (806 kph), but that’s nowhere near fast enough for the Bloodhound team, which is aiming for a 2020 effort to smash the current car speed record of 763 mph. That was set in 1997 by Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green, who was also behind the wheel for Wednesday’s run.

A video (below) posted on Twitter by the team shows Bloodhound screaming along the dry lake bed in its fastest test run yet.

The U.K.-based Bloodhound project launched in 2008 but last year was close to collapse when the team ran out of money. Fortunately, a British businessman stepped in at the last moment with a hefty cash injection to keep the dream of a speed record alive.

Renamed Bloodhound LSR (land speed record), the team headed to South Africa last month for a series of test runs that increased the speed of the car by 50 mph each time, taking it well beyond its 200-mph outings achieved in 2017 and culminating in Wednesday’s astonishing 501-mph run.

For the latest tests, Bloodhound used solid aluminum wheels for the first time, with the design able to better handle the extreme pressures and forces than regular rubber tires.

The 13.5-meter-long vehicle draws its power from a combination of jet and rocket engines. These include a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet — also found on a Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft — that pushes Bloodhound to 300 mph. The rest of the power comes from several hybrid rockets from Scandinavian defense contractor Nammo.

The team plans to return to the Kalahari Desert next year to go for the land speed record attempt, with Andy Green once again climbing behind the wheel in a bid to surpass his own previous best.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The 10 best car battery brands in 2024
How to test a car battery

You must know this, but your car needs a battery to run properly. A dead battery means a car won't start, but various electronics in the car won't work properly either, including overhead dome lights, the radio, and even some security features, like door locks or alerts. So, it's in your best interest to ensure your vehicle's battery is in tip-top shape at all times. It's especially important if your car or vehicle sits unused for long periods. A trickle charger can help keep the battery powered in those situations, or worst case, a portable jump starter can help you get it going. But eventually, you're going to need to replace your battery, and it will help to know the best car battery brands out there so you know precisely what to replace your old one with. Let's discuss.
AC Delco
In operation for more than a century, AC Delco has been recommended as "the only batteries" for GM vehicles. You'll find them at retailers like AutoZone, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Amazon, and even some Walmarts. They're reliable, reasonably priced, and come with a good warranty, 18 months or above, depending on where you buy. A great AC Delco battery to call out is the Advantage series.

Bosch
Bosch is a solid mid-grade battery provider both in quality and price. They do have some affordable options, but their premium lines are still reasonably priced, with several tiers available for a wide variety of vehicles. The downside is that Bosch batteries are not carried by all retailers like some of the other options on our list, but you can find them online. You can also visit a Bosch service center if there's one near you. Callouts are the S4 to S6 series and the T4 to T6 series. We will say the brand's four-year free replacement warranty is unmatched.

Read more
Tesla’s fix for faulty Cybertruck pedal is simpler than you might think
Tesla Cybertruck

Less than five months after handing over the first Cybertrucks to customers, Tesla has had to recall the electric pickup to fix an issue with the accelerator.

In a notice issued on Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the recall impacts Cybertruck vehicles manufactured from November 13, 2023, to April 4, 2024. This suggests that all -- or almost all -- of the 3,878 Cybertrucks being recalled are those that have been manufactured to date.

Read more
Ford Mustang Mach-E 2024 vs. Mach-E 2023: What’s new in Ford’s electric Mustang?
Blue Ford Mustang Mach-E on a rooftop

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is easily one of the best EVs for the price, offering a solid range, sleek design, and pretty good tech on the inside. In recent years, it has gotten even cheaper -- thanks in large part to a price war between it and the Tesla Model 3. And, the company just took the wraps off of the latest and greatest version of the Mach-E, labeled as the 2024 model.

The 2024 Mustang Mach-E is notably different from the 2023 iteration in some meaningful ways. So much so that we decided to take a look at the two head-to-head -- to see if it was better to pay for the 2024 model or save some cash on any remaining 2023 stock.
Design
The Mustang Mach-E looks relatively unique -- in a good way. And thankfully, Ford has largely kept the overall design the same for the 2024 model, at least when it comes to the more consumer-focused models. The car retains the slatted taillights and crossover size. It also offers a large selection of colors, including the very blue Grabber Blue Metallic, as well as Rapid Red Metallic. It's a good selection of colors, and there should be an option for most buyers.

Read more