SSC or Shelby SuperCars has once again snatched the fastest production car record from the Bugatti Chiron SuperSport 300+ with the Tuatara hypercar, achieving a new top-speed of 331.15 mph (532.93 kph).
Records are there to be broken but even Bugatti didn’t see their record of the fastest production car set by the Chiron Super Sport 300+ being broken quite so early. Yes, we have a new fastest production car record and this time again, the record has been snatched from Bugatti by SSC. SSC or Shelby Supercars has achieved this feat before when they took the title of the fastest production car with the Ultimate Aero back in 2007, then snatching the title from the Bugatti Veyron. And now, the new fastest production car in the world is the SSC Tuatara hypercar which has set a record of 316mph (508.73kph) average top speed.
With the Bugatti Chiron SuperSport 300+, the idea was to go past the magical 300mph barrier, a feat that had never been achieved before. On August 2, 2019, Bugatti set out for this record attempt at the famous Ehra-Lessien in Germany, clocking a top-speed of 490.48kph or 305mph. The record was set and seemed difficult to beat. However, in just over a year’s time, the SSC Tuatara hypercar has gone well past that record with an average speed of 316mph, taken from two runs on State Route 160, outside of Las Vegas.
There’s a key difference in the record set by the Bugatti Chiron SuperSport 300+ and the SSC Tuatara. While the Chiron set the record on an elliptical test track – the Ehra-Lessien – in one direction only, the SSC Tuatara did it in two direction passes on the State Route 160. The record top-speed is an average of the top-speed of both the runs and thus solidifies the ability of the car to do it again and again. While it once seemed impossible for a production car to cross the 300mph mark, the SSC Tuatara has even crossed the 500kph mark, a target most top-speed record hunters were not even aiming.
Behind the wheel was British racing driver Oliver Webb and he piloted the SSC Tuatara to a top-speed of 301.07 mph (484.53 kph) on the first run itself. The car certainly had more to deliver and in the second run in the opposite direction, Oliver Webb went well past the top-speed in the first attempt and on to a top speed of 331.15 mph (532.93 kph). This averages out to 316.11mph (508.74kmph). Webb says the car could have gone even faster and it certainly didn’t seem out of breath but the crosswind as such high speeds were too fierce to continue with the run.
Also Read : Next-Gen Jaguar Land Rover Interiors to be Made from Recycled Plastic!
So what took the Tuatara to such a record high speed? It is powered by a 5.9-litre twin-turbo V8 engine which produces 1750PS of power with E85 fuel (1350PS with 91 Octane fuel). Such power figures will even put most electric hyperarcs to shame. The engine comes mated to a 7-speed AMT gearbox. However, power alone isn’t enough for such a feat. The car is pretty light for a modern day hypercar at 1,247kg, thanks to its full carbon-fiber body work and chassis. Coupled with a drag co-efficient of of 0.279, the Tuatara went slicing through air.
Also Read : Land Rover Defender Launched in India – Price, Specs and all Details!
While this speed seems difficult to beat, the top-speed hunt is not over with this. Koenigsegg still have the Jesko Absolute and Hennessey have the F5, both of which are yet to make their record attempt. At the start, we said records are there to be broken, and we are sure this too will be. It’s only a matter of time and by whom, is what remains to be seen. Until then, fill yourself with appreciation for this incredible feat while enjoying the on-board video of the record attempt.
