April 9, 2012 11.00 am This story is over 142 months old

Supersonic Bloodhound car visits Lincoln

Faster than a speeding bullet: A replica of a supersonic car that will attempt to break the land speed record later this year is on display in Lincoln for one day.

A full-scale replica of a supersonic car that will attempt to set a new land speed record is on display in Lincoln for one day only, on Monday, April 9.

To claim the record in South Africa later this year, the 39ft (12m) Bloodhound, which is currently under development, will have to better the speed of 763mph (1,228km/h) set by the Thrust Supersonic Car in 1997.

It is believed that the vehicle’s aerodynamic shape and the power of its Falcon hybrid rocket and Eurofighter-Typhoon jet engine, will take the car beyond 1,000mph (1,610km/h) — faster than a bullet shot from a hand gun.

The visit was organised by the Lincolnshire Engineers Panel (LEP) together with the University of Lincoln’s School of Engineering, Lincoln College and Siemens.

Paul Ellerton from the LEP said: “Engineering has always been part of Lincoln’s heritage and we wanted to find a way of inspiring Lincolnshire’s next generation of engineers and scientists.”

Kev Williams, Director of Construction and Engineering at Lincoln College added: “Young people associate engineering with working in oily factories but we want to get across the message that this is not the case.

“We want to show that it is an attractive and professional career that is interesting and revolves around technology.”

The Bloodhound is on public display next to the LPAC, off Rope Walk, from 11am throughout the day.

There will also be an evening presentation delivered by a member of the Bloodhound team, discussing the car’s power systems, aerodynamics, and control systems.

The session will run from 5:30pm to 8pm at the University’s Jackson Lecture Theatre, in the main building on the Brayford Campus. The session is free and open to all.