The Bloodhound SSC is powered by jets and rockets. Picture / Flock and Siemens
A British car hopes to break the land-speed record by shooting through the desert at more than 1000mph - and its body has to be made bulletproof to withstand the huge impacts it will undergo as it races along.
The Bloodhound SSC car, which has been assembled in Bristol,
is counting down to its final test, but first it must ensure that the car can withstand its journey. As it hurtles through the desert it will be going at such speeds that even a small pebble could cause a huge amount of damage.
If a bag of sugar hit the centre of the wheel while the car was travelling at full speed, for instance, it would be the equivalent of 50 tonnes of blast, the weight of a fully loaded lorry.
To ensure that it can withstand such hits, the team behind the project have fired projectiles at the panels on the car.
By ensuring that the panels are essentially bulletproof, they can make sure that they are pebble-proof, too - and at such speeds they are much the same thing.
