by Theresa Machemer/Smithsonianmag.com
The Bloodhound supersonic car has slim aluminum wheels, a ballistic missile-inspired shape, and a 20,000-pound-thrust jet engine. And now, it’s for sale.
The Bloodhound Land Speed Record Project began in 2008 to break the land-speed record set in 1997. Given recent advancements in technology, the team’s engineers believe they will be able to reach over 1,000 miles per hour. The project was sold to Yorkshire businessman Ian Warhurst in 2018, and in 2019, the car drove at a staggering 628 miles per hour.
Warhurst hoped to find outside funding to continue research and development through 2020 in preparation for a late-2021 test drive, but the Covid-19 pandemic interfered with funding and delayed the project by about a year, according to a statement.