Well this is potentially good news as the Bloodhound SSC project, a gazillion dollar, decade long quest to build a 1,000mph has been sold to a British entrepreneur and saved from the ignominy of being parted out and chopped up. The buyer from Yorkshire, England is one Ian Warhurst. A man with a suitably British and a suitably powerful sounding last name to have his hands on such a project as this. Warhurst is no stranger to the automotive world as he operated a turbocharger company that grew to such a size that Wabtec bought them a few years ago. He has had other successful projects in the automotive world as well.
So this is great news on the face of it. English guy get project for fire sale prices, project stays alive, stays British and everyone’s happy, right? Of course everyone is now but we’d be shocked if the level of expenditure that was being planned is the same in Warhurst’s eyes. We’re guessing that there will be belt tightening all over the place here and we’re wondering if timelines will change or if schedules for testing and or making speed runs will be changed as well.
The whole operation hinges on running the car over a prepared course in the desert of South Africa, which is where the majority of the remaining expense (it would seem) will come. If Warhurst for the car for the $319,000 price that the administrators had it listed it, he’d likely bought the most wildly affordable used car in the history of the automobile and on the flip side, if he got it for that price the Bloodhound SSC has depreciated unlike any other wheeled vehicles on Earth.
This is a positive hunk of news. We’re not calling it an ending because until that thing actually blasts over the desert with a turbine engine and a rocket blazing, its ain’t over. Stay tuned, things just got way more interesting!
Story: Bloodhound SSC project saved by British entrepreneur for undisclosed sum
I think what the project needs other than money is competition. History tells us that a lot of the LSR records were accomplished when there was multiple automobiles vying for the title. Breedlove and Arfons, Thompson and Arfons, Nobel and Breedlove and Cobb and Campbell.
These type of events need competitive hype, man against man like a title fight in boxing!
WOOO HOOOO!!!! That’s awesome. That’s such great news.I love the leading-edge technology and especially the sheer bravery. The stuff of legend. So happy to hear it.
Dale
Maybe I’m naive but in reading about the fantastic amount of money that’s been thrown at this (oh, should I say generally pointless?) project that’s an engine package with a cart under it, it’s hard to believe that somebody else couldn’t come along and do it for a fraction of the money. Maybe this is the guy.
Ed Schadle and the North American Eagle team were trying and they had some success. Jessi Combs went 477 but Ed has since died and I do not know where that program is heading.
Brian, They\’re still going, that was a team of about 5 boeing guys, so 4 of them are still alive. They will more than likely never reach that milestone. They run on a terrible surface that is prone to wind storms which damage the turbine, and are constantly plagued by steering problems. I\’m not sure why bloodhound doesn\’t race in bolivia, you\’d think a thrust powered car would have a better shot at high altitude which is what those engines were designed for anyway. Not to mention that salt has very little rolling resistance.
there’s also the Aussie Invader LSR team going for the 1000 mph mark, so there IS healthy competition out there.
Change the goal to 1000 kph!