The story of the world's first supersonic car and the entangled human emotions behind this great engineering achievement. It is the tale of Richard Noble's obsession with speed, from his early days with the crude self-built Thrust 1 jet car to the Thrust SSC - the fastest car in the world.
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Ever since Dr Johnson declared 200 years ago that no man travelling at 20mph in a coach could possibly "continue to draw breath", there has been no shortage of nay-sayers. They said it over and over to Richard Noble and his team, but they went ahead anyway and in October 1997 ThrustSSC, driven by RAF Squadron leader Andy Green, smashed through the sound barrier to set the first supersonic land speed record of 763mph.
This absorbing and richly illustrated book tells of Noble's obsessive quest for speed, beginning as a six-year-old watching John Cobb's 200mph jet boat Crusader and ending in triumph in the Nevada desert. There is as much financial as technical detail--Noble imaginatively and profitably stalked the Internet for donations as corporate sponsors fell by the wayside--and a jingoistic subplot as the Brits and Yanks vied with each other to achieve the sonic boom first.
But mostly this is a human story of struggle, achievement and the peculiar meanings of success. "We'd got through this", says Noble, "we'd succeeded. But success can be very sad once you've got over the initial elation. Suddenly it's all over and it can never be savoured again." --Nick Wroe
Book Description
The race to create the world's first supersonic car.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Steve
Format:Paperback
A fantastic read, detailing one man's passion to succeed. You don't need to be a car fan, to love this book. I can't recommend this book enough.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Promor
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a fantastic book. A must read for everyone. A wonderful review of the failures and success in going supersonic on land. Want to know how to manage a team successfully ? buy this book and read how it should be done not one of those trashy self help guides. This is real world stuff.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
The overwhleming impression that this book leaves is how much a small dedicated team could achieve against the odds of apathy from government departments, many commercial potential sponsors and industry in general. But for the fact that the book actually told a success story, it would have made quite gloomy reading. The team, of which Richard Noble was part, overcame enormous financial and technical problems to, not only break the Land speed record but also to be the first to go supersonic on four wheels. Even the closing chapter of the book left one at a low point when one appreciated that British industry has made almost no capital out of the success story: we should be trumpeting it from the rooftops.
My only criticism is the disturbingly large use of the f word in quotes from those involved. It makes it more difficult to recommend the book for a widespread readership.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thrust
This is a very interesting story and extremely factual. For me it brought back many memories of the actual THRUST vehicle as I was very privaliged to have met Richard Noble and saw... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Ms J.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The inside story of a unique individual and his achievements
There are few good books about the Land Speed Record - with a few exceptions (eg "Man Against the Salt"), they tell you more about the cars than the people who drove... Read more
Published on 11 April 2001 by Paul R. Ashby
5.0 out of 5 stars
A true business inspiration
I read this book in three days whilst on holiday and found it to be a true inspiration for anyones trying to do what everyone else says can not or should not be done. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2000 by "les283"
5.0 out of 5 stars
The ultimate book of the ultimate record attempt
A wonderful account of the life-long pursuit of the landspeed record by Richard Noble. The book is lavishly illustrated with some fantastic shots of the cars Noble helped to build. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars
Living proof for British sportsmanship
I first came across the book when attending an amateur rocketry workshop in Bristol. Luckily, on my way home, I was able to purchase the last remaining copy from a Heathrow... Read more
Published on 6 Feb 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book - The story of a war on the land speed record.
This is a fantastic book. Anyone with a smidgen of an engineering soul should read it. The story of Richard Noble's fraught land speed record successes and business set backs... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars
An extraordinary British hero
Richard Noble and his Thrust project are well known but this book goes inside the bid for two land speed records. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 1998
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