Aiming to be the world’s fastest SSC Tuatara In 2007, a little company from West Richland, Washington, called Shelby SuperCars, set a Guinness World Record production car speed of 256.18 mph with its 1,183-horsepower Ultimate Aero, unseating the benchmark Bugatti Veyron. While Bugatti eventually grabbed back the record with its Veyron Super Sport, recording 258 mph, Shelby’s credentials as a bona fide supercar builder were established. Next year, Shelby SuperCars—now renamed SSC and no relation to car design legend Carroll Shelby—will introduce a new car that could well recapture the top-speed crown. Called the SSC Tuatara, it will pack a staggering 1,350 horsepower and have a targeted top speed of 276 mph. It’s powered by an SSC-designed and built 7-liter twin-turbo V-8 that reportedly will rev to an insane 9,200 rpm, blast from standstill to 60 mph in an unthinkable 2.5 seconds and run the quarter-mile in 9.75 seconds. While the Ultimate Aero always looked a little “kit car-ish,” the Tuatara has been shaped by talented designer Jason Castriota, who has done terrific work at Pininfarina and Bertone. The plan is for the first SSC Tuataras to be delivered early this year, and while there’s no firm pricing yet, expect something over $700,000. All we can say is: Bugatti, beware.
POWERFUL DETAILS Engine: 7-liter twin turbo V-8 Power: 1,350 horsepower at 9,200 rpm Torque: 1,042 pound-feet at 6,800 rpm Transmission: 7-speed manual 0-60: 2.5 seconds Top speed: 276 mph (estimated) Price: $700,000 (estimated)
NAPLESILLUSTRATED.COM | MARCH 2013 121