All Sections

There’s a new fastest production car in the world – and the manufacturer might surprise you

Move over Bugatti, there’s a new champ. The SSC Tuatara has burst on the scene and racked up a blistering 316mph to nab the title of “world’s fastest production car.”

The company behind the Tuatara, SSC North America lived up to its self-appointed billing at “America’s first hypercar company” on Monday when it revealed the news. The Tuatara actually managed a whopping 331.15mph but rules mean the average of two runs in opposite directions is taken as the record attempt.

Read this: Interested in fast cars and fast phones? Place your vote for the best phone you can buy

SSC Tuatara

Credit: James Lipman / SSC North America

Sceptics out there who think it’s a stunning feat for a relatively unknown company need not worry as two independent witnesses are required to officially corroborate world records. It’s also a pretty unfounded concern as SSC has actually achieved this record before (around ten years ago), despite lacking the name recognition of a Bugatti (via CNN).

The SSC Tuatara achieved the 316mph record with its turbocharged V-8 engine and 1750 horsepower. The Tuatara took around ten years to research and develop, and is inspired by the aerodynamic design of fighter jets.

The record itself was achieved on a closed off seven-mile stretch of a public road in Nevada. The requirement for two opposite runs on the public road is to account for any variations in the road and wind conditions.

Read this: Check out the latest trailer for The Mandalorian Season 2

SSC CEO Jerod Shelby gave his thoughts on the company’s high-speed record journey:

It has been 10 years since we held this record with our first car, the Ultimate Aero [which clocked 256.14mph to hold the record from 2007-2010], and the Tuatara is leagues ahead. Its performance reflects the dedication and focus with which we pursued this achievement.

We came pretty close to meeting the theoretical numbers, which is astonishing to do in a real-world setting on a public road. America’s new claim to victory in the ‘land-based space race’ is going to be tough to beat.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *