For the last few weeks the BLOODHOUND Project has been progressing fast as new sponsorship has enabled us to move to the next stage of the programme. Key among these developments has been splitting the Car up into its sub-assemblies, after it was 90% assembled and put on show in London last September.

As Andy Green described in his July 2016 diary, this dry build last year was very useful for checking everything fitted together and now we can make any modifications and get the few final parts manufactured.

Each section of the Car is being carefully and methodically disassembled, and then each part is being catalogued and put back into stores ready for the final build and testing programme to begin in 2017.

Pulling the Car to pieces – but very carefully

As the Team slowly takes the Car apart, they have been noting challenges they find in disassembly and refreshing their notes on the issues they found when the Car went together.

To achieve all this, the Car was moved back on to the surface table at the Technical Centre, and within just two weeks was reduced back to its major components.

The upper part of the Car was removed and the EJ200 afterburning turbofan jet engine was dropped back onto its cradle. The AMAD gearbox was then removed. All the looms and the rails were taken off, freeing the three large carbon Jet A tank enclosures. 

At the front, the team took all the body panels off the Car, and began to strip down the blade and its systems. At the back, the individual components making up the rear suspension were removed and the huge rear suspension subassembly was broken down, ready to go off for some modifications for mounting the external panels.

Every single area was meticulously catalogued; parts were checked, cleaned, lubricated, bagged and tagged; and everything was returned to our stores.

The next time the parts come out of the stores they will be being kitted for the final build. By that stage, we will be ready to add in the 10% of the Car that has yet to be designed and manufactured, and the Car will be ready to run!

See more and follow the Car’s progress

There are lots more photos as well as videos of the Car being disassembled on Facebook, Twitter and Periscope.

To monitor the progress of the Car disassembly and see what happens next, follow BLOODHOUND on any of our social media channels.

Photos: BLOODHOUND Project, Conor La Grue and Major Oli Morgan