Thrust SSC - Supersonic Race Update

Issue 2 Lead Article - 22nd January 1996

ThrustSSC To Star At National Motor Museum Exhibition

by Robin Richardson


ThrustSSC being craned out of G-Force for the Motor Show
(ThrustSSC being craned out of G-Force for the Motor Show)

All fifty four feet of ThrustSSC will be on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, England over the weekend of 20 and 21 April 1996 and if youre quick to book, you could see it in finished form for the first time and meet the team as they talk about the challenges they have faced to get the car designed, financed and built, as well as the challenges that lie ahead as they take aim at the Sound Barrier.

Situated on the south coast of England in the heart of the New Forest, the NMM is one of the world's premier automobile museums and apart from housing a mouth-watering selection of cars and bikes from the dawn of motoring to the present day, it is also famous for being the location of the Castrol Land Speed Record exhibit featuring four significant cars used by former holders of Richard Nobles current crown.

The oldest LSR car on show is Malcolm Campbells 1925 Bluebird that first took him over 150mph on Pendine Sands, Wales. Bought from Sunbeam by a determined Campbell, the car was taken to its first record by Henry Segrave running as the 350hp Sunbeam. Segrave's LSR efforts are also remembered by two other cars on display, the 1927 1,000hp Sunbeam that took him over 200mph for the first time on the beach at Daytona, and the beautiful 1929 Irving-Napier Golden Arrow, arguably the best looking LSR car of all time. Coming further up to date, the quartet is completed by Donald Campbells 1963 Bluebird Proteus that took him to 403.10mph on the atrocious conditions of Lake Eyre to claim a new mark, a mark that had already been beaten in controversial manner by one of the current supersonic protagonists, a youthful Craig Breedlove, with his first Spirit of America.


ThrustSSC being craned out of GForce for the Motor Show
(ThrustSSC being craned out of G-Force for the Motor Show)

Prior to moving to its permanent home at the Coventry Museum of British Road Transport, the current record holder, Thrust 2, augmented this fantastic display for a while and even though that looked big and brutal compared to the other cars on display, they will all be dwarfed by the massive black form of Richard Nobles latest supersonic challenger - ThrustSSC.

Next door to the main exhibition area, which itself is situated in the beautiful palace grounds of Beaulieu, is a lecture theatre that will be used twice on each day for presentations about the project by the Thrust team. Hosted by Richard Noble himself, the 2½ hour programme starts at 2pm and 5.30pm on each day and features a mixture of personal presentations, films, video and question & answer sessions tracing the history of the project from its inception through to the completion of the car and the plans for 1995 and beyond. Afternoon shows are priced at £12 and include access to the museum and grounds. Evening tickets are £10, since while the motor museum is open, the palace grounds are closed. So, if you ever wanted to ask Richard Noble what it's like to drive at 650mph, or if you wanted to ask Ron Ayers why ThrustSSC is the shape it is, now's your chance.

This is an event not to be missed and while there are two presentations each day, numbers are strictly limited, so in order to guarantee a place, please write straightaway to:

Thrust SSC Roadshow - Beaulieu
PO Box 77
Hampton
Middlesex
TW12 2XN
England

Cheques drawn in pounds sterling only on a UK bank account should be made out to: SSC Programme Ltd and please remember to enclosed a medium sized stamped addressed envelope for your tickets.



The author of this article, Robin Richardson, is ThrustSSC's Interactive Projects Manager. Robin is the founder of the Mach 1 Club.



About this site

Supersonic Race Update Mach 1 Club ThrustSSC Shop
Sponsored by This site best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3
Digital msie artewisdom

© SSC Programme Ltd, 1997