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Next summer, a team of engineers will attempt to smash the land speed record by reaching more than 1,000mph in their Bloodhound supersonic car (SSC). 

The project has been seven years in the making and has been a dream of former RAF pilot Andy Green since he set the current record in 1997.

And now Wired's assistant editor Oliver Franklin has been given an exclusive tour of the Bloodhound's Technical Centre in Bristol.

See the full feature in the December issue of Wired, on sale Thursday 30 October 

The pencil-shaped car (concept pictured) will be 44ft (13.4m) long, 6ft (183cm) in diameter and weigh 7.5 tonnes when completed. The upper chassis is made of strong, but lightweight aluminium to which titanium stringers and titanium skin will be fixed using glue and 1,400 aircraft specification rivets

The current land speed record stands at 763.035mph (1,227.985km/h), set by Mr Green - who will also drive the Bloodhound - in the ThrustSSC.

The Bloodhound SSC will attempt to set the new record of 1,609km/h (1,000mph) by 2016. 

The project is on course for the finished car to roll out for low speed testing at up to 200mph (321km/h) at Newquay's Aerohub next summer. 

The team will then head to South Africa and attempt to break the barrier on a purpose-built 12-mile track in the desert in 2015 and 2016.

During the record-chasing run, Bloodhound will cover 12 miles (19km) in two minutes, exerting an acceleration force of almost 2G, and peak deceleration force of 3G on the driver.

Beyond 749mph (1,207km/h), the noise of the jet engine will be drowned out because the Bloodhound will travel faster than sound waves.

When it hits 1,000mph (1,609km/h), Bloodhound will pass through a measured mile, at which point Mr Green will cut the throttle.

During the attempts, 12 cameras and 300 sensors will stream live footage and data from the car.   

If successful, it will mark the biggest jump in land-speed history.

Bloodhound project director Richard Noble, 68, told Wired: 'It's a difficult undertaking.

'The whole thing is innovative. 

'We're a maverick organisation, that's how we exist.'

In 1975, Mr Noble designed and built Thrust 1 - one of Britain's first jet-powered cars, but it crashed at 139mph (225km/h).

In 1983, Noble was part of a team that set a world record of 633,mph (1,019km/h) in Thrust 2. 

In January 2007, Mr Noble alongside Mr Green asked Lord Paul Drayson, the former minister of science in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, for a jet engine. 

He initially refused, but later told the Bloodhound team that if they set out to 'engage and inspire a new generation of young people', the Ministry of Defence would give them three EJ-200 test engines used for the Eurofighter development programme. 

More than 5,670 British secondary schools are now linked to the Bloodhound Education Project, and a team runs workshops in which children can learn about physics and the car's engineering.

Andy Green shows off his 1000MPH office

If successful, it will mark the biggest jump in land-speed history. Bloodhound project director Richard Noble, 68 (pictured) said: 'It's a difficult undertaking. The whole thing is innovative. We're a maverick organisation, that's how we exist.' In 1975, Mr Noble designed and built Thrust 1 - one of Britain's first jet-powered cars

Mr Noble announced the project at the Science Museum in London in 2008, and although the record attempt was scheduled for 2011, design problems delayed it.

Mr Noble added: 'When you think about what is similar to this: the only thing similar is a space shot [fairground ride]. We're a horizontal space shot.'

See the full feature in the December issue of Wired, on sale Thursday 30 October (pictured) 

The first attempt will take place at Hakskeen Pan, in South Africa's Northern Cape province in August. 

The government is clearing the desert of an estimated 6,000 tonnes of stones.

'If you hit a stone at 1,000mph, the impact is the equivalent of something like a .50 calibre bullet - if one hits a piece of the car, it could go straight through it,' said Mr Green. 

The region will be fitted with a water pipeline and 4G phone network, plus 10,000 tourists are expected to watch the car's record runs - bringing money to the area. 

Bloodhound has undergone aerodynamic computer simulations, but hasn't yet been physically tested at high speeds. 

'There are a lot of unknowns,' continued Mr Noble. 

'The fun starts next year because we're going to discover the problems that we have for real. 

'And that's when Bloodhound's 2016 attempt will be over in 90 seconds: the innovation starts, because there's no way we can build another car.'

Earlier this month, engineers spent eight hours fitting the EJ200 engine to the upper and lower chassis of the supersonic car, which signalled a major milestone in its development.

The engine, which is normally found powering a Eurofighter Typhoon, weighs a tonne and produces 20,000lbs (90kN) - or nine tonnes of thrust.

It was fitted at the Bloodhound technical centre in Avonmouth, near Bristol. 

The first attempt will take place at Hakskeen Pan, in South Africa's Northern Cape province in August (pictured). The government is clearing the desert of an estimated 6,000 tonnes of stones. The region will be fitted with a water pipeline and 4G phone network, plus 10,000 tourists are expected to watch the car's record

The mission to produce the world's first 1,000mph (1,600km/h) car was recently given a boost - or more accurately thrust - with the installation of a state-of-the-art jet engine. A team of five engineers spent eight hours fitting the EJ200 jet engine to the upper and lower chassis of the supersonic Bloodhound car (pictured)

The lower chassis, below the jet (pictured), is made of aluminium and steel, and houses the Nammo hybrid rocket. The two power plants together produce 135,000 thrust horse power, or the equivalent to 180 F1 cars

The upper chassis is made of strong, but lightweight aluminium, onto which titanium stringers and titanium skin will be fixed using glue and 1,400 aircraft specification rivets.

The lower chassis, below the jet, is made of aluminium and steel, and houses the Nammo hybrid rocket.

The two power plants together produce 135,000 thrust horse power, or the equivalent to 180 Formula 1 cars.

The pencil-shaped car will be 44ft (13.4m) long, 6ft (183cm) in diameter, and weigh 7.5 tonnes when completed.

Chief engineer Mark Chapman said in a press release: 'This is a fantastic moment in the project.

'It's great to see the jet engine fitted, it validates the many years of hard work by our team of motor sport and aerospace engineers.'

Earlier this year, designers of the supersonic car also revealed the vehicle's futuristic cockpit.

It is made from five different types of carbon fibre weave, and two different resins, and took more than 10,000 hours to design and manufacture in total.

Sandwiched between the layers of carbon fibre are three different thicknesses of aluminium honeycomb core, which provide additional strength.

At its thickest point the material is made up of 13 layers, but measures just 0.9-inches (24mm) thick.

The cockpit structure weighs 441lbs (200kg) and bolts directly to the metallic rear chassis carrying the jet, rocket and racing car engine.

It has to be strong as this front section will have to endure peak aerodynamic loads of up to three tonnes per square metre at 1,000mph (1,609kph), as well the considerable forces generated by the front wheels and suspension.

It will also carry ballistic armour to protect Wing Commander Green should a stone be thrown up by the front wheels at very high speeds.

The cockpit is positioned in front of three loud motors - the jet, a cluster of hybrid rockets and the racing car engine that drives the rocket's oxidiser pump, which are expected to generate a noise level estimated at 140 decibels - the equivalent to a shotgun blast.

Wing Commander Green will wear a specially made in-ear communications system to protect his hearing and to ensure that he can communicate with mission control. 

The team behind the Bloodhound SSC also revealed how they intend to slow it from 1,000mph (1,600km/h) to zero.

The engine was fitted at the at the Bloodhound technical centre in Avonmouth, near Bristol (pictured). Chief engineer Mark Chapman said: 'This is a fantastic moment in the project. It's great to see the jet engine fitted, it validates the many years of hard work by our team of motor sport and aerospace engineers'

The engine, which is normally found powering a Eurofighter Typhoon, weighs one tonne and produces 20,000lbs (90kN) - or nine tonnes of thrust

After the car reaches its top speed, air brakes and parachutes will slow it to 160mph (260km/h).

Breaking to this speed is done at a constant 3G deceleration - equivalent to going from 60mph (95km/h) in a normal car to zero in just one second - for 20 seconds.

This last stint to zero is where the problem lies, however. 

Even at this speed the cars wheels are still spinning 10,000 times per minute.

Attempts to use carbon rotors from a jet fighter in the form of car-like disc brakes shattered at speeds of just half this, so the team needed a new approach.

Instead, they switched to steel rotors from brake manufacturer AP Racing. In tests these proved much more promising, withstanding temperatures of up to 850°C (1,560°F). They even survived to such an extent that they can be used again.

The next step will be to test these brakes out at the full 10,000rpm that will be experienced.

If Mr Green becomes the first man to surpass 1,000mph (1,609km/h) on land, Wired explained that the achievement could signal the decline of the sport. 

Beyond this speed, the engineering challenges are limited by current technology.

'It would be sad to think that we will have ended a sport that has been running for 116 years.' concluded Mr Green . 

'I'm certainly not intending to do any more of these. I don't expect Richard is. I know Ron isn't. So to set the most remarkable record of all time in terms of sheer speed, while bringing science and technology to life for another generation? That's a good place to finish.'

Earlier this year, designers of the supersonic car revealed the vehicle's futuristic cockpit. It has been made from five different types of carbon fibre weave and two different resins. It took more than 10,000 hours to design and manufacture in total

During the record-chasing run, Bloodhound (pictured) will cover 12 miles (19km) in two minutes, exerting an acceleration force of almost 2G, and peak deceleration force of 3G on the driver. If Mr Green becomes the first man to surpass 1,000mph (1,609km/h), Wired explained the achievement could signal the decline of the sport