Bloodhound LSR Nips At 500 MPH In Latest High-Speed Test

Bloodhound LSR Nips At 500 MPH In Latest High-Speed Test

Summary

Bloodhound LSR Nips At 500 MPH In Latest High-Speed Test

Bloodhound LSR Nips At 500 MPH In Latest High-Speed Test
Honestly friends, there’s nothing boring about bolting a seat to a jet engine and lighting the afterburner. We only mention boring above because frankly, the clip does look rather dull. That’s a testament to the Bloodhound LSR team and the design of this amazing machine, not to mention the skill of driver Andy Green who makes the run look very easy. But make no mistake – this jet car is going very, very fast.

Specifically, the video above saw Green and the Bloodhound hit 461 mph at its testing location in South Africa. We were planning to wax poetic on this latest high-speed test, but progress – and as such, new videos – are coming from the team nearly as quick as the car. Just a few hours ago as of this article posting, Bloodhound LSR dropped another video (below) showing Green and the literal land missile nearly reaching 500 mph.

It was part of another test to gauge drag at higher speeds, so after the acceleration run, the Eurofighter-spec jet engine was throttled to idle and the car coasted down to 200 mph before the chute was finally pulled.

We’ve been following the team’s progress through the Bloodhound LSR YouTube channel, and thus far the testing phase as gone well. Higher-speed runs have revealed problems with debris damaging panels at the rear of the vehicle, but with each phase, the issues are addressed. One thing is for certain – the car appears well and truly capable of eventually setting a new world speed record. The uncut footage in the video at the top of the article shows the Bloodhound accelerating from a standstill to 461 mph in just 34 seconds.

The current world speed record is 763.035 mph that, ironically, was set by Green over 20 years ago in another jet-powered car. The current plan for Bloodhound LSR is to complete this round of testing, then return next year to break the record. After that, the goal will be 1,000 mph on the ground.