THE cockpit of Bloodhound SSC, the 1,000mph (1,609km/h) land speed record car, has finally been unveiled at the project’s base. Motor News was able to see the cockpit on its visit a couple of weeks ago but we had to keep quiet until now. The state-of-the-art carbon fibre monocoque has been tailored to the needs of driver Andy Green and will be his supersonic office during record attempts on the Haksteen Pan in the Northern Cape in 2015-16.Handcrafted using five different types of carbon fibre weave and two different resins, the monocoque has taken more than 10,000 hours to design and manufacture. Sandwiched between the layers of carbon fibre are three different thicknesses of aluminium honeycomb core, which provide additional strength. At its thickest point the monocoque comprises 13 individual layers but is just 25mm in cross-section.The structure weighs 200kg and bolts directly to the metallic rear chassis carrying the jet, rocket and racing car engine. The carbon front section wi...
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