New ownership saves Bloodhound SSC

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By: RACER Staff December 17, 2018 7:06 AM The Bloodhound SSC project, whose hopes of achieving 1,000mph on the ground appeared to be at an end after its assets were put up for sale last week, has been given a new lease of life after the assets were purchased by British entrepreneur Ian Warhurst.The price paid for the Bloodhound supersonic vehicle, which is powered by a jet engine bolted to a rocket, was not revealed but Andrew Sheridan, the appointed administrator for the sale of the assets said the new owner — who the BBC says is the managing director of an engineering company specializing in turbochargers, repair kits and turbo parts — intends to continue the project.“Ian has a strong background in managing highly successful businesses in the automotive engineering sector and he will bring considerable expertise to bear in taking the project forward,” Sheridan said. “He will be outlining his plans for the project in detail early in the New Year.”Sheridan added that the UK the Ministry of Defence and Rolls Royce — builder of the Bloodhound’s jet engine originally designed for the EuroFighter aircraft — both backed the sale.“We have been overwhelmed by the passion that clearly exists for Bloodhound and are thrilled that we have been able to secure a buyer who is able to give this inspiring project a future,” Sheridan added. “In the meantime, we would particularly like to thank the Ministry of Defence and Rolls Royce for their support and collaboration throughout this process, without which it would not have been possible for the project to be in a position to continue.”The Bloodhound project was created to break the existing land speed world record of 763mph (1,228km/h), with ambitions to push the record beyond 1000mph (1609km/h). Trial runs at speeds up to 200mph were conducted last year in on an airport runway (pictured), while 500-600mph runs were previously scheduled for for 2019 on South Africa’s Hakskeen Pan, with top-speed attempts planned for 2020 or 2021. It’s not yet clear whether this schedule will be followed under the project’s new ownership.