Jason Castriota, the Tuatara is a radical departure from the company’s previous supercar The production car is heavily based on the concept that SSC unveiled in 2011. Designed by Jason Castriota, the man responsible for the Maserati GranTurismo, Ferrari P4/5, and the Saab PhoeniX concept, the Tuatara is a radical departure from the company’s previous supercar, the Ultimate Aero.
It averaged 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h) during the two runs.
On September 13, 2007, the SSC Ultimate Aero was crowned as the fastest production car in the world by averaging 256.14 mph (412.22 km/h) during the two opposite direction passes. The title for the world’s fastest car has changed hands a few times in this 13-year interval, with the current official record holder being the Koenigsegg Agera RSwith a velocity of 277.87 mph (447.19 km/h).
There has been a lot of debate whether the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ should be included in this top speed duel, but the consensus is the hypercar from Molsheim doesn’t meet the criteria. Even though it reached 304.77 mph (490.48 km/h), the attempt was done in only one way rather than in opposite directions. Bugatti explained why the W16 longtail didn’t go both ways at the Ehra-Lessien test track as per the Guinness World Record rules, but that doesn’t really matter now.
SSC Tuatara becomes the fastest production car.
Because there’s a new speed demon in town and it’s called the SSC Tutara. On the same stretch of the State Route 160 outside of Las Vegas near Pahrump where the Agera RS made history in November 2017, the hypercar named after a reptile smashed the world record for the fastest street-legal production car. On October 10, SSC North America put professional racing driver Oliver Webb behind the wheel of the Ultimate Aero successor in an attempt to dethrone the Agera RS and Chiron Super Sport 300+.
SSC NorthAmericans Tutara hypercar is the new world's fastest production vehicle, averaging an astounding maximum speed of 316.11 miles per hour over two runs on a closed public road last week in Nevada. SSC ran its tests according to Guinness World Record specifications, but the results have yet to be officially certified by the organization. The Tuatara reclaims the title once held by SSC's 256 mph Ultimate Aero TT a decade ago.
To qualify as the world's fastest production car, the car needs to be of production spec -- identical to what you can buy today -- running street tires and nonrace fuel. In the Tuatara's case, that means a 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 sending 1,750 horsepower to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automated manual transmission, a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis and honed aerodynamics that balance a low 0.279 drag coefficient with plentiful downforce to keep things planted and stable at insane speeds.
It also means a $1,625,000 starting price with fully optioned examples reaching nearly $2 million -- "production car" doesn't necessarily meanmassproduction.
The entire body is made from carbon, which helps keep weight down to only 2,750 pounds.
Actually, the entire body is made from carbon, which helps keep weight down to only 2,750 pounds, but most of it is painted, with just a few elements sporting a transparent finish.
Unlike the concept car, the production model has a proper front hood that can be removed from the body. The gaps are noticeable below the nose and above the headlamps and it’s pretty obvious that they aren’t perfect. Hopefully it’s just a pre-production issue that will be removed before the Tuatara is shipped to its customers.
The profile and the roof are identical to the show car. The canopy-style roof extends further back, and it’s significantly narrower than the body on the sides. The door become wider as we look away from the windows, making room for a massive vent atop the rear fenders. The deeply sculpted side skirts also feature massive intakes for engine cooling. The 20-inch, lightweight wheels have orange accents on one of the spokes, as well as orange brake calipers. Overall, the profile looks sleek and fast, just like a proper supercar should.
INTERIOR OF THE CAR-
The center stack and center console are void of any buttons and controls, likely replaced by the big, tablet-like display
SSC had nothing to say about the Tuatara’s interior, but the photos show a modern and luxurious cabin. The layout is somewhat simple, with two panels covered in leather and contrast stitching covering the dashboard. The two elements meet in the middle, just above a pair of round A/C vents. The panels aren’t aligned properly, but SSC should fix this before production.
The center stack and center console are void of any buttons and controls, likely replaced by the big, tablet-like display. Strangely enough, the steering wheel doesn’t have controls either. The center section is covered in leather and includes a big "SSC" shield. Unfortunately, the leather and the stitching look a bit clumsy for a premium car. Both the steering and the shift paddles are made from carbon-fiber.
The seats have solid side bolstering and are wrapped in leather. There’s double stitching on the sides and a quilted diamond pattern on the seating surfaces. Not much else is visible in these shots, but if SSC manages to fix the fit and finish issues, the Tuatara will look like a modern luxury supercar. As things stand right now, it’s no match for the craftsmanship seen in Bugattis and Koenigseggs, though.
FINAL THOUGHTS-
A relatively new company, SSC didn’t get much attention until the Ultimate Aero became the world’s fastest production car in 2007. Once Bugatti recaptured the benchmark with the Veyron Super Sport in 2010, SSC fell into anonymity. Sure, the Tuatara concept from 2011 made some headlines and gearheads talked about a new record for a while, but SSC North America had nothing to brag about for several years. Come 2018 and the Tuatara finally seems ready to hit the production line, and if the company’s claims are anything to go by, we should witness a new record attempt soon. But while I’m looking forward to see the Tuatara in action, I’m not getting overly excited as the car shown at Pebble Beach still has some fit and finish issues and the company’s factory is not yet finished. I’m hoping for the best, but since SSC spent a whopping seven years to turn a concept into a production car, we might need to wait a while to see the Tuatara set a new record.
Thanks For Reading Subscribe Us And Share And Like.
1 Comments
Nice
ReplyDelete