Monday 18th October 2010

Bloodhound SSC On The Strand

1000mph car parks up in central London; somehow avoids a parking ticket

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Britain's land speed record hopeful Bloodhound SSC caused a bit of a stir at the weekend, when it was parked on the Strand in London on Sunday.

The 1000mph car is perhaps not as suited to city as, say, a Toyota Aygo (it has a turning circle of 120 metres and has no reverse gear), but we doubt the Toyota would be capable of reaching 1050mph or shooting a 45-foot flame from its rocket exhaust.

Actually, to be strictly honest the Bloodhound SSC in London at the weekend was actually a 1:1 scale model, and which has now gone on show in Coutts Bank, where it will remain until 30th October.

So it might be a bit of a publicity stunt, but it does at least make for some interesting pictures.

The car is officially at Coutts to showcase "cutting edge research and development and the best of British engineering", although given the average size of a Coutts client's account, it's probably fair to say Bloodhound is probably hoping that a few account holders will bung a few quid in the project's direction...

 

 

[Papa Hotel]

One for the bad parking thread.

Good luck chaps, I hope this put some money in the box.

[GBS2K]

How would you appeal that parking ticket?

Grounds for Appeal:

a) I wasn't driving the car at the time
b) I am not the registered keeper of the car
c) It's not a car, it's a bloody big model!

[ssuh]

Have to admire the scale of that thing.... it's bloody huge!

[kevseymour]

Ready, Set, GO!

[zeppelin101]

Saw it at Intel in Swindon on Saturday. They had a simulator thing there for doing the runs. Pretty cool!

They showed a couple of videos in the presentations later of Thrust SSC too illustrating some of the design problems they have been working on with Bloodhound. My favourite was the in-car video of it being driven on full opposite lock from ~600mph to Vmax, Andy calmly commentating on his speed and then fiddling with switches and buttons while slowing down at about 400mph. The man is a nutter!

[Ruddmeister]

I Hope they paid the congestion charge otherwise Boris will not be pleased

[Riggers]

kevseymour said:

Ready, Set, GO!

My money's on the taxi - can't underestimate the power of The Knowledge...

[soad]

Nice pics, liking the third one esp.: old red bus, cab - straight away you know it's London.

[nsmith1180]

Ruddmeister said:

I Hope they paid the congestion charge otherwise Boris will not be pleased

Is the CC emissions based yet?

HOW MUCH

[Dagnut]

Pictured beside the 3 most common vehicles in the city ..A bus, a Taxi and a Porsche

[Al D]

Ruddmeister said:

I Hope they paid the congestion charge otherwise Boris will not be pleased

As it has a rocket motor, a Typhoon jet engine and a V8 (the latter powering the fuel pump), technically it is a hybrid so should be exempt

[Papa Hotel]

Al D said:

it has a a V8 powering the fuel pump

For me this is one of the coolest single things about the project.

[theaxe]

BTW if you want to donate you can do so here. You even get your name on the car!

[zeppelin101]

Al D said:

Ruddmeister said:

I Hope they paid the congestion charge otherwise Boris will not be pleased

As it has a rocket motor, a Typhoon jet engine and a V8 (the latter powering the fuel pump), technically it is a hybrid so should be exempt

It's a V12 F1 engine producing 800hp

[B10]

Interesting how is there at Coutts to showcase "cutting edge research and development and the best of British engineering".

Well about bloody time the banking community has acknolowledged UK engineering. We are the 6th largest manufacturing country in the world. Lets support UK science, engineering, manufacturing AND UK company ownership. Stop smaller the smaller than manufacturing financial services (sic) mob from flogging companies for a quick quid/buck. Remember how GEC was ruined and Cadbury sold pointlessly.

[FlossyThePig]

nsmith1180 said:

Ruddmeister said:

I Hope they paid the congestion charge otherwise Boris will not be pleased

Is the CC emissions based yet?

HOW MUCH

pedant said:

No congestion charges on a Sunday anyway

[beanbag]

theaxe said:

BTW if you want to donate you can do so here. You even get your name on the car!

Done!

[soad]

Came close to getting a ticket, no?
Wonder what he said

[Killer2005]

beanbag said:

theaxe said:

BTW if you want to donate you can do so here. You even get your name on the car!

Done!

Will do the same when I get home, that will be officially cool

[anonymous-user]

I walked past it this morning, somehow they have got it inside Coutts and it is proudly displayed