Bloodhound’s new team plans to let supersonic car ‘off the leash’

The Bloodhound supersonic car has been relaunched under new ownership and is back on its pursuit of the world land speed record.

Bloodhound Programme Ltd, the firm behind the initiative to hit speeds of 1,000mph, went into administration in October.

It was saved from the scrapheap after British entrepreneur Ian Warhurst bought the business and assets for an undisclosed sum.

There has been a complete rebranding of the programme, now named Bloodhound Land Speed Record (LSR), and the team has been freshly assembled.

They will focus on completing development of the jet and rocket-powered car and moving to the next phase of high-speed testing as soon as possible.

The car now has red and white livery and has moved into her new home at SGS Berkeley Green University Technical College (UTC) on the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park.

Mr Warhurst, chief executive of Grafton LSR Ltd, said: “Since buying Bloodhound from the administrators last December, the team and I have been overwhelmed by the passion and enthusiasm the public have shown for the project.

“Over the last decade, an incredible amount of hard graft has been invested in the project and it would be a tragedy to see it go to waste.

“Starting with a clean slate, it’s my ambition to let Bloodhound off the leash to see just how fast this car can go.

“I’ve been reviewing the project and I’m confident there is a commercial business proposition to support it.

“I’ll provide robust financing to ensure there is cash-flow to hit the high-speed testing deadlines we set ourselves.”

Mr Warhurst is heading the Bloodhound LSR team.

Current world land speed record holder Andy Green will continue to be the driver of the car.

Many of Bloodhound’s original mechanics and technicians will also work on the project.

Dates for the high-speed test runs and the world land speed record runs will be announced once operational and logistics planning is finished.

The target is to first break the world land speed record of 763.035mph before aiming for the maximum design speed of around 1,000mph.

The car’s current red and white livery is likely to change through sponsorship.

Ewen Honeyman, commercial director of Grafton LSR, said: “We’re already having detailed discussions with a number of organisations about exciting new sponsorship possibilities, as well as talking to those involved in the previous phase of the programme.”

Bloodhound is now based in a 975sq metre workshop facility in the college campus – tying in with the project’s aim of delivering educational inspiration.

Kevin Hamblin, executive principal of SGS Berkeley Green UTS, said the college is “excited” to have the project on site.

He said: “To have such a groundbreaking engineering project on site which shares our philosophy to enthuse and encourage the next generation of engineers, designers and scientists will be invaluable for our own students and also for thousands of young people across the region who will have an opportunity to visit the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park over the next few years and see the car for themselves.”