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SSC Tuatara

The SSC Tuatara is a sports car designed, developed and manufactured by American automobile manufacturer SSC North America (formerly Shelby SuperCars Inc.). The car is the successor to the Ultimate Aero and is the result of a design collaboration between Jason Castriota and SSC. As of 2020, the car is recognized as the world's fastest production car with the average top speed of 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h). Initially powered by a 6.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the capacity of the engine was later reduced to 5.9 liters in order to allow the engine to have a higher redline of 8,800 rpm.[2] SSC has stated that the power output would be rated at 1,350 hp (1,007 kW; 1,369 PS) or 1,750 hp (1,305 kW; 1,774 PS) on E85 fuel, along with a top speed goal of 300 mph (483 km/h).


SSC began working on the development of the successor of the SSC Ultimate Aero in 2011. The new car named the Tuatara was previewed in concept form at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. In August 2018, seven years after the debut of the concept, the production version of the Tuatara was shown to the general public. Designed by ex-Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota, the car takes inspiration from the aerospace industry.

The Tuatara is named after the reptile, found only in New Zealand, known for having the fastest molecular evolution of any living animal.

SSC claims the Tuatara has the lowest drag coefficient in its class at 0.279. The car has a carbon-fiber body construction with aluminum crumple zones and incorporates active aerodynamics.

The interior contains leather and Alcantara upholstery and the functions of the car are controlled through a touch screen located on the center console. There is a configurable instrument panel behind the steering wheel displaying important information about the car's status along with a 300 mph speedometer. The car uses a camera system instead of traditional side-view mirrors. SSC claims that the interior can seat a 6-foot 5-inch tall person wearing a helmet.[citation needed]

The Tuatara is produced at a purpose-built facility in West Richland, Washington, and production is limited to 100 cars.

SSC has partnered with Nelson Racing Engines to build the engine, Linder Power Systems for engine sub-assembly fabrication and Automac for the production of the 7-speed electrohydraulic manual transmission.The transmission was later revealed to be a 7-speed electrohydraulic manual manufactured by CIMA. The car has the following driving modes: "Sport", "Track" and "Lift". In Sport mode, the ride height is 4 in (102 mm) at the front and 4.5 in (114 mm) at the rear. In Track mode, the ride height lowers to 2.75 in (70 mm) at the front and 3.75 in (95 mm) at the rear. The Lift mode is designed to protect the underbody of the car while driving over speed bumps or driveways.

The Tuatara is offered with two configurations, a "high-speed" configuration and a "high-downforce" configuration. The first customer car was delivered during the Monterey Car Week and was unveiled at the Philadelphia Motor Show on February 7, 2020.

Top speed record
On October 10, 2020, the Tuatara set a production car top speed record, hitting a one-way top speed of 331.15 mph (532.93 km/h) and setting a two-way average of 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h) on a seven-mile stretch of closed road outside of Las Vegas, Nevada, near Pahrump on State Route 160. It beat the Koenigsegg Agera RS's record, which set a record on the same highway in 2017, by 46.6 mph (75.0 km/h). The car was piloted by British racing driver Oliver Webb.


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