British engineers have unveiled plans for the Bloodhound, a 1,000mph supersonic car that is designed to smash the current land speed record. The car, which could theoretically reach 1,050mph would be so fast, it could outrun a speeding bullet from a .357 Magnum revolver.

The £12 million ($20 million) Bloodhound is to be officially announced today by the British science minister, Lord Drayson. The project has been developed in secret for the past 18 months by the Bloodhound team inside an aircraft hangar in Bristol.

Its power is mindblowing. The car will incorporate a jet engine from a Eurofighter Tycoon as well as a solid rocket booster, generating a total of 20,000kg (45,000lb) of thrust. Yowee!

The jet engine alone is expected to get the car to 350mph. After that, the solid rocket booster is fired and the thing will literally take off like a rocket, achieving 1,000mph in just 20 heart-stopping seconds.

The project is being funded by various British science institutions to inspire kids to pursue careers in science and engineering. A full-scale mock-up version of the vehicle is expected next month, while a week long exhibition on the project will be running at London’s Science Museum in South Kensington. I’m so there!

Check out the promotional video to see the car in action and out-racing a speeding bullet.

UPDATE: Found a YouTube rip of that promo video (below).

Source:
The Guardian