Spirit of Speed Gallery

This gallery is home to Thrust2 and ThrustSSC, the two fastest cars on Earth.

In 1983 Richard Noble drove Thrust2 to the Land Speed Record of 633.468mph. The first section of this gallery tells Richard’s remarkable story, struggling with his first attempts at the record, to his great success with Thrust2.

The second half shows how Richard was inspired to try again, leading a dedicated team to the ultimate record, breaking the sound barrier on land. This was achieved in 1997 when ThrustSSC, driven by Flight Lieutenant Andy Green, achieved the remarkable speed of 763mph.

The gallery uses film narrated by Richard and Andy to bring the story alive. You also walk through the pit trailer that was used as the control centre for the ThrustSS runs, and ride in a simulator that accurately depicts what it is like to travel in ThrustSSC at a speed of over 700mph.

But the true stars of this gallery are the cars themselves Thrust2 and ThrustSSC.

Please note that the Thrust Simulator is open until 4pm daily.

We are sorry to announce that the ThrustSSC Simulator is currently out of action - read more here.

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