Bloodhound goes bust...
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Brum
Posts: 847
Bloodhound goes bust...
Sad news...
Plans to build a British
jet-powered car to speed at more than 1,000mph through the desert have hit quicksand, after the company behind the Bloodhound project entered administration.
jet-powered car to speed at more than 1,000mph through the desert have hit quicksand, after the company behind the Bloodhound project entered administration.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: UK
Age: 46
Posts: 588
Originally Posted by Harley Quinn
Pity the Grauniad couldn't be bothered to try and explain why the team are in such dire straits.
On second thoughts I don't suppose they really know very much about finance and budgets
On second thoughts I don't suppose they really know very much about finance and budgets
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Brum
Posts: 847
It's all over...
News report...
News report...
A project to race a car at more than 1,000mph has been axed after it failed to secure a £25m cash injection.
The Bloodhound supersonic vehicle - built with a Rolls-Royce Eurofighter jet engine bolted to a rocket - is all but finished.
The Bristol-based team behind it was aiming to beat the existing land speed world record of 763mph (1,228km/h).
A test run in Newquay in 2017 saw the vehicle reach speeds of 200mph (320km/h).
Following the failure to secure the investment the firm financing the project has gone into administration."Since [then] we have worked tirelessly with the directors to identify a suitable individual or organisation who could take the project forward," joint administrator Andrew Sheridan said."Despite overwhelming public support, and engagement with a wide range of potential and credible investors, it has not been possible to secure a purchaser for the business and assets."We will now work with key stakeholders to return the third-party equipment and then sell the remaining assets of the company to maximise the return for creditors."(
The Bloodhound supersonic vehicle - built with a Rolls-Royce Eurofighter jet engine bolted to a rocket - is all but finished.
The Bristol-based team behind it was aiming to beat the existing land speed world record of 763mph (1,228km/h).
A test run in Newquay in 2017 saw the vehicle reach speeds of 200mph (320km/h).
Following the failure to secure the investment the firm financing the project has gone into administration."Since [then] we have worked tirelessly with the directors to identify a suitable individual or organisation who could take the project forward," joint administrator Andrew Sheridan said."Despite overwhelming public support, and engagement with a wide range of potential and credible investors, it has not been possible to secure a purchaser for the business and assets."We will now work with key stakeholders to return the third-party equipment and then sell the remaining assets of the company to maximise the return for creditors."(
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 13,728
I'm all for advances in technology to solve problems that need solving but I have to admit I was relieved that the previous record car and driver didn't end up as toast. With this project, I couldn't help asking myself - why? The speed limits are 50 mph on most roads and due to congestion and roadworks you're lucky if you reach 70 mph even on motorways...
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Age: 53
Posts: 1,504
It's a shame. I paid to have my sons names on it and we kept tabs on development. I began to have doubts it would ever run in anger a fair while ago as the project seemed to stretch on and on.
Still better a dead project than a dead Dead dog.
Still better a dead project than a dead Dead dog.
Shame it went bang without a boom. Still it might end up in a museum, so they will be on it for posterity.
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: England
Posts: 308
Originally Posted by ShyTorque
I'm all for advances in technology to solve problems that need solving but I have to admit I was relieved that the previous record car and driver didn't end up as toast. With this project, I couldn't help asking myself - why? The speed limits are 50 mph on most roads and due to congestion and roadworks you're lucky if you reach 70 mph even on motorways...
Even though it has halted it may well have done this already.
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hertfordshire
Age: 56
Posts: 927
Originally Posted by Barcli
What did the first 25 million get spent on ? I believe most of the " equipment" was loaned ..... I smell someone doing rather well out of this ...
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 141
Originally Posted by Buster15
You probably know this but it was actually nothing to do with the land speed record per se, more about creating a focus for inspiring new young people to think about science and technology.
Even though it has halted it may well have done this already.
Even though it has halted it may well have done this already.
Why put all the eggs in one basket? Why have just the one, hugely expensive and risky venture?
How many extra science teachers could this level of expenditure pay for? How much new kit for school science labs? For that matter - how many repaired school science labs could it fund?
I guess fixing and equipping dilapidated school facilities isn't as sexy as gleaming things that go very fast and make lots of noise in so doing.
