1000mph is what is known, in the car world, as 'very fast indeed'.
The fastest production car in the world, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, can only manage a paltry 258mph. This is walking pace, frankly, compared to the Bloodhound SSC.
We told you about the Bloodhound project, which aims to build a 1000mph land speed record car, back in July, and now it seems that the project is building up speed (sorry) as the first full test of the car's rocket engines will be carried out tomorrow.
The team, led by Richard Noble, will put the car's rocket propulsion system through its paces at Newquay Cornwall Airport on Wednesday. Besides being an important step towards the land speed record attempt, it will also be the largest rocket firing in the UK for more than two decades.
The Bloodhound SSC combines rocket and jet power and is fitted with the turbofan engine from a Eurofighter Typhoon. The jet engine's job is to get Bloodhound up to about 230mph, after which the rockets take over to propel the car up to the magical 1000mph mark.
The Bloodhound SSC will be driven by Andy Green, the man who was at the wheel of Thrust SSC when it broke the land speed record back in 1997.
The record attempt is still a long way off -- the team aims to attempt the record in late 2013 or early 2014 -- however, when you're designing a car with 25,000 lb-ft of torque, and a top speed nearly double that of a Boeing 747's, we're guessing that preparation is vital.
We'll keep you updated with the Bloodhound project's progress as the record attempt draws closer.
