Bloodhound's financial troubles are thankfully now a distant memory. Last year, it looked as if plans to build the supersonic jet car and attempt a new land speed record were scrapped after Bloodhound Programme Ltd went into administration, but the project was saved by entrepreneur Ian Warhurst. And now the Bloodhound LSR has achieved a major milestone.

Speed trials of the supersonic jet car at the Hakskeenpan desert racetrack were successful as the car hit 334 mph in one run – the highest speed it has ever achieved. Previously, the fastest speed the Bloodhound LSR had achieved was 200 mph during a test run at a runway in Newquay, England, in 2017.

Three speed tests were completed, with the first starting at 100 mph before building to 200 mph. 334 mph was achieved in the third speed run with the car's EJ200 Eurofighter Typhoon's afterburner running for 12 seconds. With Bloodhound driver and current World Land Speed Record holder Andy Green behind the wheel, the Bloodhound LSR hit 50 to 300 mph in just 13 seconds. 0-334 mph took less than 20 seconds. "There was strong crosswind gusting at over 15 mph and we've established that this is pretty much the limit for running in the car. We're happy because this was a successful test, now we're ready to progress on to higher speeds," said Wallace.

Since the car was transported to the desert, the team have had to overcome some setbacks such as the engine failing to start due to an issue with a fuel sensor calibration that was preventing a pump from sending fuel to the engine.

"I've been impressed with the tenacity of the team to work through a challenging first week of testing in the Kalahari Desert," said Bloodhound LSR CEO Ian Warhurst. "With all those issues resolved it's exciting to be moving into the high speed phase of the testing and get a max reheat run under our belts. Witnessing Bloodhound blasting from 50 mph to 300 mph in 13 seconds and on to 334 mph was jaw dropping. British engineering at its finest."

Further high-speed tests start within the next four weeks, with a target top speed of over 500 mph. If all goes well, Bloodhound will then attempt to set a new land speed record in the next 12-18 months. To achieve this, it will need to beat the 763.035 mph record set by Andy Green in 1997. The ultimate goal, however, is to break the 1,000 mph barrier.