The Bloodhound Land Speed Record team is actively seeking a new owner, capable of supporting a world record attempt.
Successfully tested to a speed of 628 mph in South Africa, the team has eyes on exceeding 800 mph with the Bloodhound LSR car.
Rescued from administration in 2018 by Ian Warhurst, the Yorkshire businessman is now putting the Bloodhound project up for sale.
Scrapheap challenge averted
Warhurst, who has acted as Bloodhound LSR’s chief executive, believes he has achieved all he can with personal ownership of the project. Along with saving the British-built and designed car from the scrapheap, he was also able to fund high speed testing in 2019.
Driven by land speed world record holder Andy Green, Bloodhound comfortably broke the 500 mph barrier on a 12-mile long dry lake bed in South Africa.
Since those tests, a new monopropellant rocket, built by Norwegian specialist Nammo, has been installed on Bloodhound.
Initially designed for use by the European Space Agency, the Nammo rocket is typically used to launch small satellites into orbit.
Television superstar
The Bloodhound team believes such power will take the car to more than 800 mph. This would see the existing 763 mph land speed world record, set in October 1997 by Thrust SSC, shattered.
Completing the installation of the Nammo rocket, along with a return to South Africa for the world record attempt in 2022, is anticipated to cost £8 million.
Last year, Bloodhound LSR was featured in a Channel 4 documentary titled Building the World’s Fastest Car, which helped raise the profile of the project.
Such exposure could help raise sponsorship to recoup costs, along with increasing the value of promotional rights associated with a record-breaking run.
“The world needs a good news story”
Covid-19 has complicated matters, causing a planned 2020 record attempt to be shelved. Ian Warhust admits that a global pandemic has also made funding the project much more challenging.
Work is needed to begin imminently, should a world record attempt want to be made this year. Should a buyer not be found, Bloodhound LSR will instead be placed in long-term storage.
Bloodhound LSR driver Andy Green commented: “In my opinion, the Bloodhound team has built the best Land Speed Record Car ever. It made our 628 mph test run look easy! We’re now raring to get to 800 mph+, to showcase this technical marvel and to invite a global audience to join in an incredibly exciting adventure.”
Green added: “After the horrible 2020 pandemic year we have all just experienced, the world needs a good news story, and Bloodhound is ready to deliver it”.
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They should go back to the original propulsion provider.