Plan your Visit
World-class collection in a World-class museum
- Book Tickets
- Opening Hours
- Admission Prices
- Getting Here & Parking
- Access Information
- Baxter Baristas
- Shopping
- Group Visits
- Car Clubs
- Star Vehicles
- Sky Blues Bus
- Ferguson TE20
- Daimler Wagonette
- Ariel Cycle
- Standard Roi de Belges
- Standard Fulham
- Daimler Armoured Car
- Humber Super Snipe
- Queen Mary's Daimler
- Humber Imperial 5 Series
- Reliant Scimitar GTE
- Triumph T140 Bonneville
- Singer Gazelle Series V
- ThrustSSC
- Rover Safety Cycle
- Ted Simon's Triumph Tiger 100
- Stanley Glanfield's Rudge
- 4D Simulator
- Home
- Visiting
- Star Vehicles
- ThrustSSC
Name:ThrustSSC
Year:1997
ThrustSSC is a British-designed and built World Land Speed Record car.
ThrustSSC holds the current World Land Speed Record which was set on October 15, 1997, by accomplishing a speed of 763 mph. By doing so, the supersonic car became the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier.
Designed by Richard Noble, Jeremy Bliss, Ron Ayres and Glynne Bowsher, ThrustSSC was driven by the RAF fighter pilot Squadron Leader Andy Green in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, USA. It is 16.5 m (54 ft) long, 3.7 m (12 ft) wide and weighs 10.5 tons (10.7 t).
Noble was also the driving force behind the car's predecessor, Thrust 2 which broke the World Land Speed Record in 1983.
The car was powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines, as used in British F-4 Phantom II jet fighters. The twin engines developed a thrust of 223 kN (50,000 lbf) and burned around 18 litres of fuel per second.
Don't miss out on the latest from the Coventry Transport Museum
Home of Record Breakers
Coventry Transport Museum is home to the world's two fastest cars.
Marvel at these spectacular feats of British engineering.
Get up close to the two fastest cars in the world, Thrust SSC and Thrust 2.
Schools
Bring the curriculum to life!
Coventry Transport Museum's interactive exhibitions make the perfect venue for school visits in Coventry.
We offer a wide range of sessions for school groups, all 'Learning Outside The Classroom' quality assured.
