British supersonic car has first public test runs

A vehicle being developed in the UK to surpass the world land speed record by reaching 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) per hour had its first public test runs at Cornwall Airport Newquay, southwest England, on Thursday.

The Bloodhound Supersonic Car is powered by an EJ200 jet engine, capable of producing more than 135,000 horsepowers, more than six times the combined power of all the Formula 1 cars on a Grand Prix starting grid.

Using just the thrust of its jet engine, the vehicle reportedly raced to 210 miles per hour down the runway in Newquay.

The Bloodhound will eventually be fitted with a rocket motor as well so that it can go even faster.

Current world land speed record holder Wing Commander Andy Green was behind the wheel of the Bloodhound, and hopes to smash his own record during runs in South Africa in 2019.

He told reporters that his vehicle would go from zero to 60 miles per hour in two seconds, much faster than a high-performance supercar’s three or four seconds. "It was 0 to 200 miles an hour in about eight seconds today and that's including winding the engine up and winding it back down again."

Dr. Ben Evans, associate professor of aerospace engineering at Swansea University, explained, "This car is a thrust-driven car, so [it] moves not because you're putting power into the wheels but because you're pushing from behind."

He added, "The thing that I'm interested on this is the aerodynamics. So the reason it's as long and thin as it is is to keep the drag as low as possible… And the aerodynamic features on the car, things like the winglets, the shape of the nose, the shape of the cockpit, that's all about keeping the car planted on the ground when it's traveling at such high speeds."

(AFP)