The Bloodhound LSR (www.bloodhoundssc.com) project has been officially re-launched, with a new base, a new livery and a new owner vowing to let it “off the leash”.

The British car made its first appearance since the project went into administration outside new headquarters at SGS Berkeley Green University Technical College (UTC) on the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park.

Now owned by Ian Warhurst, CEO of North Yorkshire-based Grafton LSR Ltd, the car has a fresh white and red paint job but is essentially unchanged.

Current land speed record holder Andy Green, engineering director Mark Chapman and others came with the car; the project is focused on finishing the build and moving on to high-speed testing “as soon as possible”.

Before the project went into administration, plans were under way for trials and eventually 1,000mph-plus runs on the Hakspeenpan in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Mr Warhurst said: “Since buying Bloodhound from the administrators in December, the team and I have been overwhelmed by the passion and enthusiasm the public have shown for the project.

“Over the last decade, an incredible amount of hard graft has been put into the project, and it would be a tragedy to see it go to waste.

"Starting with a clean slate, it’s my ambition to let Bloodhound off the leash to see just how fast this car can go. I’ll provide robust financing to ensure that there is cashflow to hit the high-speed testing deadlines we set ourselves.”

The move to the UTC has been made primarily because the Bloodhound Technical Centre at Avonmouth was larger than required, once the car had been built.

The team looked at various options for a new headquarters, but the Berkeley option met a number of key requirements, including being the optimum size, immediately available, located in a secure environment and within half an hour of Bristol, enabling the project to retain key members of the team.