This Rocket-Like Car Clocks 537 KPH Without Much Effort

Lucky are those in South Africa, particularly in the Hakskeenpan desert, these days, because they certainly had the opportunity to watch a rocket-like car driving at very high speed in pre-record attempt runs. But if you aren’t there, that’s fine; because you can watch it here – the footage of the Bloodhound LSR showing its eye-watering acceleration.

So far, the car has been tested three times, but it was only in the initial stage and further testing will be carried out. All of this is part of the Bloodhound’s effort to win the world record for land speed which is currently still held by the Thrust SSC. Back in 1997, the SSC accelerated to 763,035 mph or 1,227.9 km/h, which earned it the world title.

Each test is called a Profile by the team that worked behind the project. In Profile 1, the test involved static engine heating, followed by running up to 100 mph (161 km/h) to ensure steering and braking readiness. After that, Profile 2 involved a tougher test, by touching the 200 mph (322 km/h) mark previously reached by the vehicle at Newquay in 2017.

All the wonder happened in Profile 3, where the Bloodhound managed to clock 334 mph (537 km/h) for the very first time since it was assembled. This fosters a strong belief in the team that they will be able to achieve the 500 mph goal that they set in South Africa. Of course that won’t be easy, but their current speed is certainly a positive beginning.

The Bloodhound is powered by a monstrous Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine, the same unit that powers one of Europe’s most common warplanes, the Eurofighter Typhoon. The engine is complemented by an afterburner, which itself was engaged and operated for 12 seconds during the testing, launching the car from 50 mph (80 km/h) to 300 mph (483 km/h) in a blistering 13 seconds.