History of the Bloodhound Project

The Bloodhound Project started in 2008 with the formation of Bloodhound SSC Programme Ltd by former world land speed record holder Richard Noble, who had set a new record of 633mph (1,019km/h) in 1983. That record was surpassed in 1997 by a team led by Noble, with Thrust SSC driven by Andy Green which reached 763mph (1,227km/h). For Noble and Green, that wasn’t enough – they knew they could go faster....

Car development

The 10-year development phase of Bloodhound SSC included engineering highlights such as the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to develop the optimum shape for the car and the development of the multi-engined powertrain comprising the EJ200 jet engine and the rocket. Other highlights included testing of the rocket being developed for the project by Nammo and the first runs of the car during low speed trials at Cornwall Airport Newquay, culminating in the public 210mph runs in October 2017.

However, the project’s funding could not sustain the required expenditure to continue to the next stage and Bloodhound SSC Programme Ltd was placed into Administration in October 2018.

Grafton LSR

On 17 December 2018, Yorkshire engineer and businessman, Ian Warhurst, purchased the Bloodhound business and assets. Ian and his family had been long-term supporters of the project, and his children had been inspired by seeing Bloodhound at an event. Ian was just one week into retirement, but after being alerted to the project’s plight by his son, Ian couldn’t stand by and watch the project get broken up. Subsequently he formed a new company called Grafton LSR Ltd, which is now being managed and directed by Stuart Edmondson, who took over from Ian in May 2021.