The race to build a 1000 mph car

Strapped into a custom built seat, Andy Green prepares for the ride of his life. The pancake-flat desert stretches out for miles ahead. The computer indicates all systems are normal. He eases off the brakes and puts his foot down on the throttle. The jet engine roars into life. In precisely 42.5 seconds he'll be travelling 1000 mph. In a car.

This time there's competition. A three-way race is developing, with two other teams, one from North America and the other from Australia, vying to wrest the record from the Brits. The first step will be to break the existing record and get past 800 mph. If that succeeds, the next stage is to attempt 1000 mph (1609 kilometres per hour). "That's what we're designing the car for," says Ron Ayers, chief aeronautic engineer on the Bloodhound project.