ThrustSSC

ThrustSSC is a British jet-powered car that holds the world absolute land speed record. It achieved this record on October 15, 1997, when it reached speeds of 763.035 miles per hour (1,227.985 kilometers per hour). The car was designed and built by a team led by Richard Noble, who had previously held the land speed record with Thrust2. The driver for ThrustSSC was Andy Green, a Royal Air Force fighter pilot.

The design of ThrustSSC was a significant departure from previous land speed record cars. It features two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines, each producing over 50,000 pounds of thrust. This immense power was necessary to overcome the aerodynamic challenges of breaking the sound barrier on land. The car is incredibly long and slender, with a delta wing configuration to provide stability at high speeds. It is constructed from a monocoque chassis made of aluminum alloys and features solid aluminum alloy wheels, as traditional tires would have disintegrated at such speeds.

The development of ThrustSSC took place over several years, with extensive testing and refinement. The record-breaking runs were conducted in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA. The achievement of ThrustSSC marked the first time a land vehicle had officially broken the sound barrier, making it a landmark event in automotive and engineering history. The car is now on display at the Coventry Transport Museum in England.