SSC Tuatara to push the speed game to almost 500 kph

Those who were following the modern “top-speed” race in the hypercar world that started with the Bugatti Veyron must have heard about Shelby Supercars (currently known as SSC North America). SSC is the firm that came up with the Ultimate Aero, the car that took the crown from the original Bugatti Veyron. And now, the same company is out with a completely new model called the SSC Tuatara and, SSC claims, it is capable of hitting 483 kph (300 mph).

Details are scarce from the Pebble Beach unveil, but there will be a mid-mounted twin-turbo 5.9-litre V8 that churns out a colossal 1,350 hp when fed with premium unleaded fuel. With the more expensive flex fuel in the USA, the Tuatara’s engine pushes the envelope even further by producing 1,750 hp. This almost unbelievable power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed “computerized manual” gearbox that features something called a “robotic shift system”.

The aerodynamic body of the Tuatara is built almost entirely out of carbon fiber with the sixth element leveraged to make the chassis, body and even the wheels. The drag coefficient of this slippery body is just 0.279. With all this, the CEO of SSC says that the company has “full confidence”  that the Tuatara will hit the rather ambitious mark of 483 kph (300 mph).

Those who are wondering about the crazy name, the Tuatara is named after a lizard-like reptile from New Zealand. 100 units of this new hypercar will be made and orders are being accepted as you read.