ThrustSSC is the most powerful, most extraordinary car ever to be designed to attack the Land Speed Record, and as the SSC (SuperSonic Car) in the name indicates, it is also one of the first with genuine potential to breach the Sound Barrier.

Where Thrust2 used a 17,000 pound thrust Rolls-Royce Avon 302 engine from a Lightning fighter, ThrustSSC is the first car to use not one, but two turbojets. These will initially be Rolls-Royce Spey 202s from the Phantom fighter, each producing 20,000 pounds of thrust. Richard Noble has acquired two of them, but also has two even more powerful 205 units (25,000lb of thrust) for use when ThrustSSC has proved itself in transonic testing. ThrustSSC thus has the power of 1000 Ford Escorts, or 145 Formula One cars...

It will weighs 10 tonnes, and initial performance estimates suggest it will accelerate from standstill to 100mph (161kph) in four seconds or 0-600mph (1000kph) in 16 seconds. Within five miles (8 km) it will then reach its maximum speed of 850 mph within half a minute.

© Castrol. Original design by Lawrence Watts. Reproduced by kind permission of Castrol.

To help you understand the principles behind Thrust SSC, we've produced our 'clickable car'. Just click on any part of the image for information about that area.

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