Chinese (Simplified) 
Chinese (Traditional) 
English 
French 
Alemão 
Italian 
Japanese 
Norwegian 
Spanish 
7 min read
1 comments
In an unprecedented feat in the history of automotive engineering, the Thrust SSC became the first — and only — car to break the sound barrier on dry land. Equipped with two fighter jet engines, it reached such an absurd speed that it could only be flown once. Discover how this jet-powered vehicle pushed the limits of what was possible and became the fastest car in the world.
The human obsession with breaking records has always fueled the evolution of machines. In the case of the Thrust SSC (SuperSonic Car), this quest was taken to a new level: exceeding the speed of sound using four wheels. The project was born in the United Kingdom, led by engineer Richard Noble, which had already held the previous record with the Thrust 2 in 1983. But the Thrust SSC wasn't just an upgrade: it was a monster of a car. A jet vehicle over 16 meters long, 3,7 meters wide and weighing 10,5 tons. It was designed exclusively for break the world land speed record — and, more than that, to be the first supersonic car in history - car that accelerates faster than a rocket!
An absurd speed: breaking the sound barrier
The Thrust SSC not only broke records, but also physics itself. By exceeding the speed of sound (approximately 1.235 km/h at sea level), the vehicle produced a sonic boom, a phenomenon previously exclusive to supersonic aircraft. To achieve this absurd speed, the car was designed with refined aerodynamics and exceptional stability, ensuring it remained on the ground even at extreme speeds.
The Thrust SSC was built for a single purpose: to break the land speed record. Its structure and design were not designed for multiple uses or for driver comfort. Furthermore, the operating costs and risks involved in each race are extremely high. After achieving its goal, the vehicle was retired and is currently on display at the Coventry Transport Museum, in the United Kingdom.
-
Is it illegal to drive a car in this Brazilian city?
-
Best-selling sedans in Brazil: Onix Plus, Corolla and Virtus compete for leadership in updated list of the automotive market
-
A Brazilian city built where the gold was above the ground?
-
These are the car launches for the second half of 2025 in Brazil
Buy
The Guts of the Monster: The World's Fastest Car Had Two Fighter Jet Engines
To achieve this nearly impossible goal, the project team chose to use two Rolls-Royce Spey 202 engines, the same ones used in the fighter F-4 Phantom II of the British Royal Air Force. Each engine generates 50 thousand HP, totaling more than 110 thousand horsepower — enough to power not just a car, but a convoy of trucks or a power plant turbine.
The combined thrust generated was 223 kN (about 22.700 kgf). This allowed the Thrust SSC to accelerate from 0 to 1600 mph in less than 55 seconds. A typical rocket, such as the Falcon 9, reaches this speed after 60 seconds of takeoff. In other words, the fastest car in the world accelerates faster than a rocket.
War engineering adapted to land
The construction of the Thrust SSC involved missile aerodynamics, tank-worthy structural reinforcements and unprecedented stability systems to keep the car on the ground. After all, the absurd speed intended would generate shock waves that could lift the vehicle off the ground.
One of the biggest challenges was keeping the Thrust SSC stable and safe while crossing the sound barrier, as no other car had faced this level of atmospheric turbulence and aerodynamic drag. The Black Rock Desert, in Nevada (USA), was chosen as the stage for the feat due to its vast, flat, dry area.
October 15, 1997: The Day Sound Was Left Behind
At 10 a.m. that day, the pilot Andy green, a former member of the Royal Air Force, made history. In two consecutive passes (mandatory for validation of the record), the Thrust SSC achieved an average speed of 1.227,985 km / h (763,035 mph). That was Mach 1,02 - ie, surpassed the speed of sound on land for the first time in human history.
O sonic boom, typical of military aircraft, was heard throughout the region. But this time it wasn't coming from the sky — it was coming from the ground. The feat was recognized by Guinness World Records and the FIA, making the Thrust SSC the fastest car in the world and the only one to enter the category terrestrial supersonic.
Why can the fastest car in the world only be driven once?
Contrary to what many people think, the Thrust SSC not made for repeated runs. It was developed exclusively for break the land speed record. Each race required a team of more than 50 people, heavy use of aviation fuel, meteorological calculations, cleaning of the 21 km track and high accuracy in all systems.
Furthermore, the structural stress suffered in a race at over 1.200 km/h is so extreme that Any repetition would put the pilot and the integrity of the machine at risk. Therefore, after the record, the car was retired and is now on permanent display at Coventry Transport Museum, in the United Kingdom.
Comparisons to understand the feat
- SSC Thrust Speed: 1.227 km/h
- Speed of an F-16 fighter in cruise flight: 1.100 km/h
- Speed of a Boeing 747: 980 km/h
- Speed of a Falcon 9 rocket after 60s: ~1.600 km/h
- Speed of a Formula 1 car on a straight line: 370 km/h
In other words, the Thrust SSC accelerates faster than any car or commercial aircraft and rivals rockets in the first few minutes of flight.
What happens to the jet car when it reaches that speed?
When exceeding Mach 1 (the speed of sound), a land vehicle faces:
- Frontal shock wave, which increases drag;
- Extreme difficulty in stability, requiring control systems and impeccable aerodynamics;
- Takeoff risk, even with its weight, if the design is not perfectly balanced.
The Thrust SSC was able to maintain contact with the ground thanks to adaptive suspension systems, dart-shaped design and tires made of solid aluminum (regular rubber would explode from the heat and friction).
The race for the next record: Bloodhound LSR
Since 2008, Richard Noble and Andy Green have been involved in a new project: the Bloodhound lsr, a hybrid supersonic car powered by a Rolls-Royce Eurojet EJ200 engine (from the Eurofighter Typhoon) and a hydrogen peroxide-fueled rocket engine.
Bloodhound's goal is to surpass the 1.600 km/h, becoming the first vehicle to cross Mach 1.3 on dry land. The pandemic and lack of funding have delayed the project, but recent tests on tracks in South Africa have shown that the car is capable of overtaking 1.000 km/h safely.
Why aren't there more vehicles like this?
Creating a car that accelerates like a rocket and can only be driven once involves:
- Million-dollar costs;
- Extreme security;
- Authorization from governments and international agencies;
- Demand for gigantic areas for testing;
- Almost exclusively symbolic or scientific return.
These projects have no commercial application. They serve as engineering milestones, exploration of physical limits and technological inspiration.
The legacy of the world's fastest car
The Thrust SSC made history not only as the fastest vehicle on Earth, but as symbol of innovation, courage and overcoming limits. Its creation showed that with planning, precise engineering and passion, it is possible to achieve what seemed unattainable.
Andy Green, the man who drove the car, also became a living legend. To this day, he is the only human being to control a machine on terrestrial ground above the speed of sound.
Quick facts to engage the reader
- O fuel consumption of the Thrust SSC during the race was about 18 liters per second.
- Os tires had no air: they were solid blocks of aluminum to withstand the speed.
- The car has been tested for years in computer simulations and NASA wind tunnels.
- The sonic boom was captured by military sensors, who thought it was a nuclear or missile test.
O car that accelerates faster than a rocket It’s real. Its name is Thrust SSC, and its existence marks a unique chapter in the history of mobility. By surpassing the speed of sound and leaving behind all previous records, it has proven that the impossible can be just a goal not yet achieved.
As we await the next steps for the Bloodhound LSR, the world still reveres the roar of the only land vehicle that dared to scream louder than sound itself.
In short, a lot of waste of resources for a joke ****