The SSC Tuatara is a hypercar designed, developed and manufactured by American automobile manufacturer SSC North America. The car is the successor to the SSC Aero and is the result of a design collaboration between Jason Castriota and SSC.
This car is recognized as the world's fastest production car, with an average top speed of 316 mph (508 kmph). The old record belonged to the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport's 304.77 mph. SSC will only build 100 Tuataras and each will be priced starting at $1.6 million.
The record was made under the custody of professionals from Guinness. Oliver Webb, a professional racer from the UK, set this record at an open stretch highway near Pahrump, Nevada. He completed two runs to an average speed of 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h) following two consecutive high-speed test runs of 301.07 mph (484.53 km/h) and 331.15 mph (532.93 km/h).
In accordance with record criteria, the Tuatara travelled in opposite directions, clocking its speeds within one hour, to break the world record for “Fastest Production Vehicle.”
The SSC Tuatara uses a 5.9 liter, twin turbocharged, flat plane crank V8 engine that produces 1,750 horsepower on E85, or 1,350 horsepower on 91 octane gasonline. It was designed to have a very low drag coefficient of 0.279.
“It’s been ten years since we held this record with our first car, the Ultimate Aero, and the Tuatara is leagues ahead. Its performance reflects the dedication and focus with which we pursued this achievement,” said Jerod Shelby, CEO of SSC.
In addition to the “Fastest Production Vehicle” record, the SSC Tuatara broke the world records for
- “Fastest Flying Mile on a Public Road” at 313.12 mph (503.92 km/h)
- “Fastest Flying Kilometer on a Public Road” at 321.35 mph (517.16 km/h)
- “Highest Speed Achieved on a Public Road” at 331.15 mph (532.93 km/h)