London - The British team that already holds the world land speed record said Thursday it plans to build a 1,000-miles-an-hour (1,600 kilometres) car in the next three years.

The Bloodhound SSC (supersonic car) will be 13 metres long, six metres wide and be powered by a jet engine normally used on the Eurofighter, plus a rocket, said project leader Richard Noble.

"We have to defend our record," said Noble, whose team in 1997 produced the current record-holder which reached a speed of 1,228 kilometres (785 miles) an hour, breaking the sound barrier.

Noble said the new car would be faster than a bullet, covering the distance of four football fields in a second.

It would be driven by military pilot Andy Green, who drove the earlier record-breaking car in the Nevada desert. (dpa)