Ever wonder what the inside of a land-speed-record-attempt car looks like? Well, you're in luck. Watch as Bloodhound LSR ace driver Andy Green gives a walk-through of the cabin he designed to his exacting specifications.
Green's walk-through, which was posted to YouTube on Monday, is done from inside the cramped cabin. Perhaps cockpit is a better word because it looks more like an airplane or rocket cockpit than anything you'd find in a normal, four-wheel contraption. It makes sense, given that the Bloodhound team describes its car as "part fast jet, F1 car and spaceship."
Everything inside was placed according to Green's wishes. While it may not appear to be the most ergonomic setup in the world, the controls are intuitively placed by Green's estimation, which is really all that matters.
The cockpit is broken down into two categories: going fast and slowing down. The right side of the cockpit is dedicated to acceleration; the left side to braking. This matches up with a conventional set of pedals on purpose. In fact, the car even has them.
Located on the left side are the circuit breakers, which are switched on before the run and remain on. In front of them are two parachute levers that Green pulls at the end of the run. Also on the left are the air brakes and aerodynamic control systems. The left-hand screen show brake temperatures, hydraulic pressures, electrical systems, and all associated warnings.
The right-hand features the engine controls, a manual fuel shut-off, three fire extinguisher systems and the fire detection system, and a radio to communicate with the team. The right-hand screen displays the status of the power systems.
Once Green gets the car rolling, the wheel and center screen (which gave the team fits during its recent 501-mph test run) house all of the controls and instruments necessary to maintain the car's run. The center screen shows speed, distance, time, and engine power.
Outside, it resembles a space shuttle on wheels, albeit unconventional ones. They're made from solid aluminum, and they cut grooves into the surface, holding the car's line throughout each run much better than would conventional tires.
That sort of over-engineering is necessary, because if the Bloodhound ultimately performs to its design, it will be capable of covering a mile every 3.6 seconds at its 1,050-mph top speed.
Bloodhound's Kalahari desert testing session went mostly to plan, with the team hitting the 500-mph target established for that stage of its ramp-up. The next phase will see the team work incrementally toward its goal of beating the current record of 763.035 mph.