Great events always have a brilliant story behind them, and Thrust 2 is certainly no different. Richard Noble and his team began building the car on the Isle of Wight in 1979 with a budget of £175. Money was so tight they couldn't even afford a phone.
Thrust 2 development programme was basic
And further tribulations had to be overcome when it came to driving the thing. In Richard Noble's words, they 'got it wrong' in 1981, using solid wheels on the hard Bonneville salt flats and achieving 500mph. A flood in 1982 meant they couldn't even get the car out of the trailer.
The 633.438mph record was set in Nevada, at the Black Rock desert. Even in 2013 and with 1,000mph in planning for the Bloodhound SSC, that's a faintly ludicrous speed. That's a two-way average as well, with Richard hitting a maximum of 650mph one way.
Perhaps even more unbelievable is the way that piloting (the phrase actually seems appropriate for once) a car to over 600mph is described. According to Richard, '300-550 [mph] is boring. It's just really boring' whilst slowing down from 600mph makes 400mph feel 'so slow that you want to open the door and get out'. Cool guy.
Noble's place in speed history well deserved
This insightful video also features Andy Green, who quite pertinently points out that the guys in the 70s and 80s had absolutely no experience in this field. They were at the vanguard of these supersonic attempts, and that arguably makes their achievements even more admirable.
A healthy dose of nostalgia is always good to sustain interest for an ongoing project. Bloodhound SSC is still on track for next year, and this video and has only got us more eager to see it driven in anger.
Still photos: Thrust Programme Ltd