Some three years from now, if all goes to plan, a UK fighter pilot will be strapped into an ultra-slim jet and rocket-powered vehicle prior to hurtling across some ten miles of carefully-selected desert at a maximum speed of over 1,000 mph. If successful, the car Bloodhound SSC (SuperSonic Car) will smash the existing world land-speed record of 763 mph, set by Thrust SSC in October 1997, by the largest incremental increase in history. In this article, the author looks at how the Bloodhound SSC‘s attempt is being harnessed to inspire young people to take up careers in science and engineering.