ThrustSSC

The ThrustSSC ( Thrust SuperSonic Car, English for relapsing -powered, supersonic vehicle) is a British jet powered car which holds the record as the fastest land vehicle in the world and also became the first country vehicle, which admittedly broke the sound barrier.

For the testing of the new vehicle combination were in October and November 1996 and conducted in May and June 1997 for the first time in the Al - Jafr desert east of Ma'an in Jordan longer tests. The Jordanian test track has the inestimable advantage that it is several months in a dry, substantially reducing the time pressure on the project. The salt flats commonly used for speed records in the western United States ( where later the actual world record attempt took place), however, can be used only one month a year.

Presented on 15 October 1997, the vehicle with the military pilot Andy Green as the driver 's record of 1227.985 km / h as average speed over a mile in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada ( USA). At the same time it broke through the sonic wall.

The ThrustSSC is powered by two Rolls- Royce Spey with afterburners. It has a length of 16.5 m, 3.7 m wide, and weighs 10.5 metric tons. Its development cost around 10 million euros and was led by Richard Noble and Ron Ayers. Richard Noble introduced in 1983 with the Thrust2 a world record for the fastest land vehicle ( 1,018 km / h). The ThrustSSC can reach a speed of 161 km / h within 4 seconds for 16 seconds, and has broken through the 1.000-km/h-Marke.

To brake the ThrustSSC from such high speeds, it has next to disc brakes on two parachutes. The first is intended for braking from high speeds and has a diameter of 2.28 m. At a speed of 600 mph ( around 965 km / h ), generated by this screen, a braking force of about 100 kN. The second braking parachute for braking at low speeds has a diameter of 4.57 m, and developed at 200 mph ( around 320 km / h), a braking force of about 60 kN.

Even if the ThrustSSC first car received the recognition for a supersonic ride, it is unclear whether the recognized record run was really the first supersonic ride a car. Perhaps the Budweiser Rocket reached under the leadership of the U.S. American Stan Barrett already on 17 December 1979 at Edwards Air Force Base on the Rogers Dry Lake, a Mach number of 1.01. This record was however Automobiles not officially recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l' because measurement errors were assumed and neither the vehicle nor the implementation of the record attempt corresponded to the FIA regulations.

Currently, a U.S. team at the North American Eagle, a car converted to the Lockheed F -104, which is to break the world record of ThrustSSC works. The team at Richard Noble is working on a successor, the Bloodhound SSC. This vehicle is expected to reach 1000 mph, ie about 1609 km / h

ThrustSSC is now in the Museum of British Road Transport in Coventry.