The BLOODHOUND Project centres on BLOODHOUND SSC, a supersonic car that is designed not only to go faster than the speed of sound (supersonic) but to over 1,000mph (1,600km/h). It will cover a mile in just 3.6 seconds.

BLOODHOUND SSC is approximately 13.4m long and weighs 7.5 tonnes. The design is a mix of car and aircraft technology, with the front section being a carbon fibre monocoque (like a racing car) and the back portion being a metallic framework and panels (like an aircraft). The two front wheels sit within the body and two rear wheels are mounted externally within wheel fairings.

The Car will be powered by both a jet engine and a rocket, which together will produce more than 135,000 horsepower: that’s more than six times the power of all the Formula 1 cars on a starting grid put together.

Over 110 man years of effort have been invested in the design, build and manufacture of BLOODHOUND SSC.

Design

BLOODHOUND SSC is, without doubt, the most complicated car ever built. When finished, it will comprise over 3,500 parts (and 22,500 rivets), of which many have been designed and manufactured uniquely for this car. Consequently, BLOODHOUND is a very difficult car to describe in detail! Here, though, you can find out about all these primary parts of the car:

• main body
• engines
• wheels
• braking systems
• controls.

We’ve also included articles about the car’s aerodynamics, which explain why it is the shape it is and why computational fluid dynamics and vehicle dynamics are so vital to the success of the BLOODHOUND project.

You can find out more about the design of the Car in our Anatomy of the Car video series, which is being produced during early 2017. Watch part one below, and then subscribe on our YouTube channel to ensure you don't miss future episodes as they are released. 

Further reading

Once you’ve read about the car, you may find it interesting to:

• Check our Facts and Figures section, which gives more details about the Car.
• Read about the FIA World Land Speed Record which tells you what constitutes an eligible vehicle for the record and about other record requirements.
• Watch our videos about designing, building and testing the car.