SSC Tuatara
The SSC Tuatara is an American twin-turbo V8 hypercar built by SSC North America (formerly Shelby SuperCars Inc.) with a single obsession: reclaiming the title of fastest production car on Earth. Designed by ex-Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota and limited to roughly 100 examples, the Tuatara pairs aero-space-inspired styling with up to 1,750 horsepower, and it went on to record a two-way average of 282.9 mph, cementing its place among the quickest road cars ever made.
Who builds the SSC Tuatara?
SSC North America could not mean much to most people, but if you are a true motorhead, Shelby SuperCars Inc. (which has no relation to car designer Carroll Shelby) will surely sound familiar for one good reason: one of the handful of cars they produced, the Ultimate Aero TT, set and owned for three years straight the Guinness World Record as the fastest street-legal production car. That record was set back in 2007, and the SSC team decided they wanted it back. Since they had been working on the project since 2011, they were clearly very determined.
Where does the name Tuatara come from?
Designed by ex-Pininfarina designer Jason Castriota, the car takes inspiration from the aerospace industry and is named after the tuatara, a reptile found only in New Zealand and known for having the fastest molecular evolution of any living animal. The name is a fitting nod to a car engineered to evolve past every rival on the top-speed charts.
What are the SSC Tuatara specs?
The car is built in a run of about 100 units and mounts a 5.9L biturbo V8 engine that delivers variable power depending on the fuel in the tank: 1,369 BHP on 91-octane gas, or 1,774 BHP on E85 (85 percent bioethanol and 15 percent petrol). According to SSC North America, the production car is rated up to 1,750 hp with a 300 mph-plus design target and a curb weight light for a modern hypercar.
Did the SSC Tuatara break the speed record?
The SSC team never compromised with the Tuatara. They originally aimed to threaten the Koenigsegg Agera RS primacy of 277.87 mph, with the Hennessey Venom F5 being developed in Texas as their main rival. The chase paid off: as documented by Gear Patrol, the Tuatara later posted a verified two-way average of 282.9 mph, and a privately owned example reached a one-way 295 mph. It became exactly the record-chasing hypercar the original project promised.
Where to find hypercars like the SSC Tuatara
If the SSC Tuatara has you chasing extreme performance, explore the full TheArsenale car collection. For more record-bending machines, see the Devel Sixteen quad-turbo V16 hypercar, the F1-inspired Delage D12, and the electric RAESR Tachyon Speed.
