The fastest car in the world can not go: the engineers ran out of money

The project of setting a new ground speed record ran into financial problems. The next record holder was supposed to be a supersonic bloodhound car.

Photo: video frame YouTube / YOUCAR

As expected, it can accelerate to 1600 km / h.

However, now in the company that created him Bloodhound Program Ltd is not up to record races. Here introduced external management.

The jet-engine Bloodhound has already been assembled, but it needs investment in about 33 million dollars to beat the speed record during a ride over the bottom of a dried-up lake in South Africa.

Temporary external managers from the FRP Advisory company have already begun negotiations with potential buyers. But without investment, the project may collapse in the coming weeks.

Bloodhound is the most ambitious car in terms of speed records. It is powered by a Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine, which is used in the fourth generation Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.

Judging by the specifications, the Bloodhound should easily beat the current record in 1228 km / h, which the British car Thrust also set in 1997.

But despite the fact that research, car development and even a few tests at low speeds have already been completed, the project cannot move on until funding is found.

“We have an entity that has gone into receivership because it has run out of money,” explains Andrew Sheridan of FRP Advisory. “But the project is very much alive and is approaching its culmination.”

"We need about 25 million pounds ($33 million) to complete the project, so we are now looking for an investor - a wealthy person or company," Andrew Sheridan told the BBC.

Why does Bloodhound have a problem?

Bloodhound is a private development. Bloodhound Program Ltd raises money through donations, sponsorships and partners. This funding model failed to raise enough money to keep such a complex project afloat.

The last two to three years have been a particularly challenging time for fundraising. Firstly, the unpredictability of Brexit has had a negative impact on the overall investment climate. Secondly, many large brands increasingly prefer advertising on social networks to placing their logo on the side of the car.

Under these conditions, the transition to external control is an attempt to find a way out of a difficult situation.

How ready is the Bloodhound for the race?

The basic design of the car is ready, in October last year, Bloodhound conducted test tests at speeds of 320 km / h on the runway at Newquay Airport in Cornwall (UK).

The route on which the car should break the world land speed record is also ready for the race. The authorities of the North-Cape province in South Africa have cleared the 18-kilometer-long section of the bottom of the dried-up lake Hakskin Pan from stones.

Even the rocket engine is ready, which will be fixed behind the car in order to bring it to supersonic speed. This is a Norwegian development company Nammo.

In September, a rocket with this engine was first launched into space from the space center on the Norwegian island of Annoya and flew at an altitude of 107 km.

“As soon as we get funding, or at least see signs of it, the team will be ready to get back to work. Within 10 months of that we'll be in South Africa,” says Mark Chapman, Bloodhound's chief engineer.

How soon can a race take place?

If you manage to find 33 million dollars, Bloodhound may be ready to pick up by the end of 2019, when the moisture from the seasonal rains evaporate from the bottom of the dried lake.

It is planned to first start the car at 800-965 km / h using only the EJ200 jet engine, in order to understand how the car behaves at speeds close to sound.

The team must then wait out another rainy season before returning to South Africa with a Nammo rocket engine to set a new world record, first traveling at speeds of around 1300 km/h and then above 1600 km/h.

Therefore, the final date for the first race is 2020, and the second one is 2021.

What is known about the car itself?

The head of the project was Richard Noble, who also led the development of the Thrust supersonic machine, setting a world record in the 1997 year. According to the plan, the driver Andy Green will be driving, as then.

It is assumed that Bloodhound will be able to accelerate to the stated record speed in 55 seconds. Engine power is estimated at 77,5 thousand hp.

In addition to the Rolls-Royce EJ200 jet engine and the Nammo rocket engine, the machine will be equipped with a Jaguar V8 gasoline engine that will pump rocket fuel.

The vehicle weighs 7,5 tons with a length of 13,4 meters and a three-meter height.

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