Thrust SSC is a jet-powered vehicle designed by Richard Noble, a well-known veteran of LSR in Britain, and Ron Ayers, a retired aerodynamic expert of British air defense missiles. Two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines, originally used in Mirage II fighters of the Royal Air Force, are used as power sources, including Spey Mk 202, which was originally used to test the basic stability of vehicles, and Spey Mk 205, which was actually used for official speed measurement. In fact, Spey series engines have never been officially launched with the code name "Mk 205". On the contrary, many Mk 202 engines have added improved kits after leaving the factory to improve their stability and durability. Mk 205 is used as a nickname for some enhanced Mk 202 engines with improved kits built directly in the factory. Due to the improved material, Mk 205 can withstand higher turbine temperature than Mk 202, and after injecting more fuel through the modification of the oil supply system, it produces greater propulsion than the standard Mk 202. Compared with the Mk 202' s propulsion of about 20,500 pounds, the improved Mk 205' s propulsion is as high as 25,000 pounds, which makes the thrust SSC powered by two Spey Mk 205 have the amazing propulsion equivalent to 145 Formula One cars.
When the maximum propulsion exceeds 50,000 pounds, the thrust SSC weighing about 10 ton can be accelerated from standstill to 1 6 1km/h in 4 seconds and from standstill to 1 0,000 km/h in 16 seconds. If
Andy Green, who is actually responsible for driving the thrust SSC to challenge the world record, is an active fighter pilot of the Royal Air Force. Before the British Ghost Fighter retired, it was originally a master of this type of fighter. Although Richard Noble, the founder and director of Thrust SSC, has been driving the challenge car in the World Record Challenge for more than ten years, in this plan, Noble decided to retreat behind the scenes and chose andy green to actually drive the record challenge car by way of draft elimination. In order to adapt to the unique rear-wheel steering design of supersonic vehicles, Green practiced how to control the steering with the rear wheels with a strange old Austin mini-modified car with extended wheelbase. According to the team, in the ultra-high-speed linear motion, the rear-wheel steering vehicle has better linear stability than the front-wheel steering design, which is a fact that is difficult for most car drivers who are used to front-wheel steering to understand and imagine.