Richard Noble, Andy Green, and a literal army of engineers, scientists, and other brainiacs have been working ’round the clock for years on the design and construction of the Bloodhound SSC. This is the car that they hope will be the first to break the 1,000mph barrier on land. It will be driven by Green who is currently the record holder with a 763mph mark that was set in the ThrustSSC car back in 1997. Because this car will be facing theoretical forces more violent and strong than anything anyone else has ever experienced, the engineering that has gone into the project is breathtaking. Take the wheels for example, which you’ll see the beginning of in this video.

Starting out with huge hunks of aluminum, those hunks are headed in an oven and when they reach the right temperature, they are extracted with a special forklift and placed in a 3,600 ton press where they are squashed through an awesome process into a round shape that can then be finished machined into a wheel. To see these big pieces of metal literally squashed like gum between the fingers of a kid is wild. As impressive is the deft touch of the press operator and the skill of the forklift guy who has to place the piece in the right orientation under the head of the press to make sure the shape keeps moving in the right direction toward the world’s baddest ass wheel.

The video opens with some cool animation and a brief explanation of the forces that these wheels will be subjected to at the speeds they’ll go. It is a great watch and another example of how intense the chase for something like the all time land speed record is a massive undertaking. Noble is a smart dude and it seems like half the country is behind him. Here’s hoping they can do it. The achievement will be one of the neatest in human history.

PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE THE BLOODHOUND SSC’S WHEELS BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE!