Move over Burt Munro, the new era of land-speed machines is streaking ahead and Kiwi ingenuity is being streamlined into potentially record-shattering swiftness.
Young Wellington entrepreneur Richard Nowland purchased a Rolls-Royce Avon 206 turbojet engine and intends to transform it into New Zealand's first purpose-built land-speed record car. It will also be the first jet-powered car designed and built in this country.
Aiming to blitz the record at home (347kmh) and across the ditch (801kmh), the carbon-kevlar-over-steel-space-frame project is entitled Jetblack. Its name picks up on its propulsion and also its symbolisation of how this country can compete with the best the world has to offer.
Nowland, the project manager and probable driver, hopes Jetblack will be seen as a metaphor and an inspiration for Kiwi capabilities.
"I want to involve as many New Zealanders as possible, especially our future generation of engineers and innovators, and I will be approaching schools and universities to invite them to participate in the project,'' he said.
"The whole thing with the project isn't just to have something to go fast, it is about promoting New Zealand engineering and technology.''
The aerodynamics are being evaluated at the University of Canterbury, which has access to BlueFern, a supercomputer capable of running trillions of calculations per second and is "one of the top research supercomputers in the world'', Nowland said.
Changes have been made to the shape of the original prototype and Jetblack will go through an extensive aerodynamic testing programme and analysis of its performance and strength before the first steel is cut.
"It is intended that wherever possible, components and design will be of Kiwi origin,'' Nowland said.
The 8.25m-long, 2.3m-wide speed machine will be powered by the Rolls-Royce Avon 206 engine (previously used in an RAF jet) with 11,250lb of thrust, which is equal to about 22,000hp. The horse-power is equivalent to that of 31 Formula One cars, 22 Bugatti Veyrons or more than 200 family-sized cars.
The engine plus jet pipe is 7.3m long and weighs more than 1200kg.
The frame is to be built from New Zealand-made steel, using a high-strength aerospace frame construction design. This will ensure that it remains strong enough to withstand 1000kmh-plus speeds but is light enough to allow fast acceleration. All the other components will be fitted within the frame.
The body shell will be fashioned entirely from carbon fibre. Modular sections will be used to allow easy access to the car's vital components such as the engine, wheels and suspension system.
There are challenges relating to the New Zealand land-speed record attempt, based on the length of the runway. A venue has yet to be confirmed but Jetblack will need at least 2.4km of tarmac to blat down.
The vehicle must make two runs over 1km within one hour to set an average speed. To have equal stopping and accelerating distances at each end, the timed kilometre must take place in the middle section of the runway, which will leave only 700m at either end. A combination of parachutes and disc brakes will be used to put on the anchors.
The Australian land-speed record requires a track length of 15km and the conditions must be perfect. Nowland is eyeing South Australia's salt-bottomed Lake Gairdner as a potential site.
Jetblack is on track for testing to begin early in 2010.
Jetblack - The details
Current NZ record: 347.5kmh (216mph). Jetblack target: 483kmh (300mph)
Current Australian record: 801kmh (498mph). Jetblack target: 1000kmh (622mph)
Promoter: Turbine Enterprises Ltd
Project manager: Richard Nowland
Car: Custom-built carbon kevlar over steel space frame
Design: Cosmas Pandit-Pagwiwoko
Finite element analysis: Solid Works Software provided by Intercad
Concept testing: University of Canterbury and BlueFern super-computer facility
Propulsion: Rolls Royce Avon 206 Jet engine
(ex-Canberra bomber)
Wheels: New Zealand _ rubber tyres on alloy wheels. Australia - 30-inch aluminium wheels.
Seat, harness: Racetech Racing Supplies
Component manufacturing: JJ Fraser Engineering
Magnum opus
Shuffle out of the way Superman - British researchers are planning to build a car that's faster than a speeding bullet.
It might sound like comic-book fantasy but engineers are confident they can build the first car in the world capable of screaming along at 1600kmh.
And they are putting their money where their mouth is - 12 million (NZ$33.45 million) to be precise.
If they can pull it off, the Bloodhound SSC, named after the British Cold War supersonic air defence missiles, should be able to smash the land-speed record by more than 400kmh.
Calculations also suggest it could reach 1690kmh - fast enough to outrun a bullet from a .357 Magnum revolver.
The Bloodhound team plans to have the car built within a year, with the land-speed record attempt expected in three years.
The car will be the first to meld a jet engine (for a Eurofighter Typhoon) with a rocket booster, for a combined thrust of 20,000kg.
The driver will accelerate by powering the jet engine up to a speed of about 560kmh then fire the solid rocket booster. A V12 racing car engine will then start pumping more than a tonne of hydrogen peroxide into the booster, forcing the car to 1600kmh in just 20 seconds.
The car will be fitted with airbrakes and two parachutes to bring it to a stop after each run.
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