Left: speed demons - Andy Green (left) and Richard Noble with the supersonic ThrustSSC. © Museum of British Road Transport, Coventry.
Ever wondered how it feels to career across a desert at 700mph and be greeted with an almighty bang, not your fan belt snapping, but the signal of your arrival at the speed of sound?
Well, now's your chance. Opening on January 13 at Coventry's Museum of British Road Transport, the Spirit of Speed gallery not only has two land speed record-breaking cars, but also offers the chance to experience supersonic speeds with the latest simulation technology.
In 1983 Richard Noble took Thrust2 to an incredible 633.468mph breaking the world land speed record, then, in 1997 Andy Green OBE went 130mph better in ThrustSSC, breaking the sound barrier for the first time on land.
Spirit of Speed proudly displays both cars, telling the story of these remarkable achievements in full and vivid detail.
Right: the magnificent Thrust SSC. © Museum of British Road Transport, Coventry.
"The Museum did an outstanding job with the Thrust2 presentation, which has been a great success for 15 years running 38,000 showings," explained Richard Noble, leader of the ThrustSSC project and driver of Thrust2.
"Now, working with the ThrustSSC team they are moving on to present a very truthful, accurate and interactive presentation of the ThrustSSC experience. This is going to be the best display of a world land speed record car anywhere in the world. We hope that large numbers of visitors will now share with us the first ever breaking of the sound barrier on land."
Interviews with the drivers and teams behind the record-breaking cars will give a true sense of the work and effort behind supersonic motoring, while an audiovisual show tells the story of the world land speed record up to ThrustSSC.
Driver Andy Green has been closely involved in the design and content of the ThrustSSC simulator, working with the museum to create accurate and realistic motion and visuals to give visitors a real taste of his dramatic experience.
Left: visitors will be able to experience the conditions endured by these two at over 700 mph. © Museum of British Road Transport, Coventry.
"This new gallery will hopefully do credit to these two world famous vehicles and the teams behind them," said Malcolm Oliver, Deputy Managing Director at the museum.
"Thrust2 has been on display at the museum since 1987 and has proved one of our most popular displays. Since acquiring ThrustSSC in August last year there has been a considerable interest in the two cars. We can now display them together, using the very latest technology to capture some of the magic of the land speed record."
Spirit of Speed was made possible by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £174,000 in addition to the £510,000 awarded to purchase ThrustSSC. A further £76,000 was provided by the European Regional Development Fund.
