Construction Begins on the World's Fastest Car: The Bloodhound

The next candidate for the world's fastest car is no longer a mere figment of design--researchers officially began constructing the racer this week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbB4VPukIVU&playnext=1&list=PL07310FD9B1336DF6 Called the Bloodhound, engineers hope that it will reach 1,000 miles per hour.

The Bloodhound was designed by a few of the key members of the Thrust SuperSonic Car team--the current world record holder, at 763 mph--and boasts a Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine as well as a hybrid rocket booster (solid fuel propellant and liquid oxidizer). No surprise, then, that it's being built by some of the biggest names in the business: Hampson Industries, an aerospace company, is handling the rear chassis, while Advanced Composites Group will construct the front. Lockheed Martin is collaborating on the aluminum wheels. [Popular Science]

Towards the beginning of 2012, the team plans on conducting low speed tests of the car. But later that same year--or possibly in 2013--they'll try for the real goal: to break the world land speed record. All eyes will be on Hakskeen Pan in South Africa's Northern Cape, the planned site for the hopeful record-break event.

"It's a fantastic feeling to be handing over the drawings to the people who will now build the car," said chief engineer Mark Chapman. "It's a 'progressive definition release' which means as soon as we finish a design, it goes out the door. The first metal parts should start coming back to our design house in Bristol by Easter," he told BBC News. [BBC News]