It has been nearly thirty years. Think about that for a second. In 1997, we were still using dial-up internet, the Nokia 6110 was the height of mobile tech, and Andy Green drove a car faster than the speed of sound. Since then? Nothing. The world land speed record has sat untouched at 763.035 mph (1,227.985 km/h) for decades. It is the longest gap in the history of the sport, and honestly, it’s starting to feel like we might have hit a literal wall—not just a sound barrier, but a financial and physical one that nobody seems able to climb over.
The record belongs to ThrustSSC. It was a monster of a machine, powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines taken straight out of a British Phantom fighter jet. When it tore across the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, it didn't just break the record; it became the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier. You’ve probably seen the footage. There’s that iconic "boom," a visible shockwave rippling through the dust, and then... silence from the record books for twenty-seven years.
The Brutal Physics of Going Mach 1 on Dirt
Why is it so hard to go faster? Most people assume you just need a bigger engine. Just strap a rocket to a frame and point it straight, right? Wrong. Once you start approaching the transonic zone—roughly 600 mph and up—the air stops behaving like a gas and starts acting like a solid wall.
At these speeds, the aerodynamics change completely. You aren't just worried about drag anymore; you're worried about lift. If the nose of the car pitches up by even a fraction of a degree, the entire vehicle becomes a very heavy, very fast, very poorly designed airplane. It will take off. And then it will disintegrate. This isn't theoretical. We’ve seen it happen in lower speed categories.
Then there are the wheels. You can’t use rubber tires at 800 mph. The centrifugal force would literally rip the rubber off the rims. ThrustSSC used solid forged aluminum wheels because they were the only things that wouldn't explode. But solid metal wheels have zero grip. Steering a car at 760 mph is less like driving and more like trying to balance a pencil on its tip while someone throws rocks at it. You’re essentially sliding on a layer of pulverized desert salt or playa dust.
What Happened to Bloodhound LSR?
If you follow the world land speed record scene at all, you know the name Bloodhound. This was supposed to be the successor. For over a decade, the Bloodhound project (first Bloodhound SSC, then Bloodhound LSR) was the Great White Hope for a new 1,000 mph record. They had the pilot (Andy Green, again), the engines (a Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine paired with a rocket), and the tech.
But money is a fickle thing.
The project has been through administration, ownership changes, and a global pandemic. In 2019, they actually got the car out to the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa for high-speed testing. It reached 628 mph. It looked incredible. It sounded like the end of the world. But then the funding dried up. Ian Warhurst, the man who stepped in to save it initially, eventually had to put the project on ice because the tens of millions of dollars required to bridge the gap between 600 mph and 800 mph just weren't appearing.
It’s a tough sell for sponsors. Back in the day, oil companies and tobacco brands would throw money at these projects for the prestige. Now? The "green" transition makes it hard for a corporate board to justify spending $30 million to burn thousands of liters of fuel in pursuit of a speed that has no practical application for a commuter car.
The Rivals and the "New" Race
While Bloodhound sits in a museum in Coventry, waiting for a savior, other teams are lurking. You have the North American Eagle project, though that suffered a tragic blow with the death of the brilliant Jessi Combs in 2019. She set a female land speed record of 522.783 mph before a mechanical failure led to a fatal crash. It was a sobering reminder that the world land speed record isn't just a tech challenge—it’s a life-and-death gamble.
There is also the Aussie Invader 5R, led by Rosco McGlashan. His approach is different: pure rocket power. While ThrustSSC and Bloodhound relied on jet engines for the bulk of their work, McGlashan wants to use a liquid-propellant rocket engine producing about 62,000 pounds of thrust. His goal is 1,000 mph.
Why the 1,000 mph Mark Is the "Everest" of Speed
- The Shockwave Problem: As you hit Mach 1, shockwaves form under the car. If these waves get "trapped" between the chassis and the ground, they can create enough pressure to flip the car over.
- The Cooling Issue: Rocket engines generate insane heat. Keeping the systems from melting over a 12-mile course is a nightmare.
- The Surface: There are only a handful of places on Earth flat enough and long enough to do this. Climate change is making these places—like the Bonneville Salt Flats—softer and less stable.
The Forgotten Humans Behind the Machines
We talk about the cars like they are the heroes, but the engineering teams are the real stars. Take Ron Ayers, the aerodynamicist for ThrustSSC and Bloodhound. He was in his 80s still crunching numbers that no one else dared to touch. These people aren't just "mechanics." They are ballistics experts and mathematicians.
When Andy Green drove ThrustSSC, he had to "drive" two separate engines to keep the car straight. Because the engines were mounted on the sides, any slight variance in thrust would pivot the car. He was essentially wrestling a supersonic dragon across a dry lake bed.
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Honestly, the lack of a new record isn't because we lack the "will." It's that the bar was set so high by the ThrustSSC team in 1997 that the cost of entry for the next level is now exponential. To go 800 mph safely today requires computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling that costs millions before you even turn a wrench.
Misconceptions About the Record
People often ask, "Why don't we just use a Bugatti?"
A Bugatti Chiron is a masterpiece, but it’s a toy compared to a land speed record car. A Chiron tops out around 300 mph. To go from 300 to 760 mph isn't "twice as hard." Because drag increases with the square of speed, it is exponentially more difficult. The power required to overcome that air resistance is staggering. A Bugatti has around 1,500 horsepower. ThrustSSC had the equivalent of about 102,000 horsepower.
Another common myth is that these records happen at Bonneville. While Bonneville is famous, it’s actually too short and too thin for the "Big One" anymore. The salt is deteriorating. Most serious attempts now look to the Black Rock Desert in the US, the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa, or the Lake Gairdner salt flats in Australia.
What’s Next for the Record?
Is the record dead? Not necessarily.
There’s a shift happening. We are seeing more interest in "alternative" speed records—electric land speed records, for instance. Projects like the Venturi VBB-3 have pushed electric speeds over 340 mph. While that’s nowhere near the absolute world land speed record, it’s where the innovation (and the sponsorship money) is flowing.
For the absolute record to fall, a few things need to happen:
- A Private Billionaire: We need a Musk or a Bezos to decide that Mach 1.0+ on land is a legacy worth buying.
- Autonomous Tech: There is a growing debate about whether the next record should even have a human inside. Taking the pilot out of the seat removes the weight of life-support systems and the ethical nightmare of a 800 mph crash.
- New Materials: We need composites that can handle the vibrational frequencies of supersonic travel without fracturing.
Actionable Steps for Speed Enthusiasts
If you’re fascinated by this and want to stay ahead of the curve, don't just wait for the evening news to report a new record. They won't. Here is how you actually follow the "real" race:
- Follow the Technical Blogs: Check the official Bloodhound LSR site and the Aussie Invader 5R updates. They post technical deep dives into fuel pump tests and carbon fiber stress reports that are fascinating.
- Study the FIA Regulations: If you want to understand why some runs "count" and others don't, read the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) rules on Land Speed Records. A record requires two runs in opposite directions within one hour to account for wind. This is what makes it so hard—the car has to survive the first run and be ready to go again almost immediately.
- Visit the Museums: If you're in the UK, go to the Coventry Transport Museum to see Thrust2 and ThrustSSC in person. Seeing the size of the engines compared to the tiny cockpit where Andy Green sat will change your perspective on what "fast" really looks like.
- Support Grassroots Racing: The "SCTA" (Southern California Timing Association) runs events at El Mirage and Bonneville. This is where the next generation of engineers gets their start.
The quest for the world land speed record is currently in a period of "forced hibernation." The tech exists. The drivers are willing. The deserts are waiting. We are just waiting for the moment when the ambition to be the fastest on Earth finally outweighs the cost of the fuel and the fear of the physics. Until then, the 1997 record stands as a testament to what humans can achieve when they decide that "impossible" is just a suggestion.
Practical Insights:
- Understand the "1% Rule": In land speed racing, a 1% increase in speed often requires a 10% increase in engineering complexity.
- Surface Matters: Watch the weather patterns in the Kalahari Desert or Nevada. If these areas get too much or too little rain, the "track" is ruined for years, stalling any attempts.
- Safety First: If you are building your own high-speed project, focus on high-speed stability and parachute deployment systems long before you worry about horsepower. Most "fast" cars fail because they can't stop, not because they can't go.