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. Initially powered by a 6.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, the capacity of the engine was later reduced to 360.8 cuin in order to allow the engine to have a higher redline of 8,800 rpm. SSC had stated that the power output would be rated at 1350 hp or 1750 hp on E85 fuel, along with a 300 mph+ top speed.

Design and development


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.

Interior
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 ft tall person wearing a helmet.

Exterior
The car has a carbon-fiber body construction with aluminum crumple zones and incorporates active aerodynamics.

Performance
SSC claims the Tuatara has the lowest drag coefficient in its class at.

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 automated manual transmission. The transmission was later revealed to be a 7-speed automated manual manufactured by CIMA. The car has the following driving modes: "Sport", "Track" and "Lift". In Sport mode, the ride height is 4 in at the front and 4.5 in at the rear. In Track mode, the ride height lowers to 2.75 in at the front and 3.75 in at the rear. The Lift mode is designed to protect the underbody of the car while driving over speed bumps or driveways.

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

World record attempts
On October 10, 2020, the Tuatara – according to SSC (pending independent confirmation) – claimed a disputed production car top speed record, recording a one-way top speed of 331.15 mph and a two-way average of 316.11 mph on a seven-mile stretch of temporarily closed Nevada State Route 160 near Pahrump, outside of Las Vegas. SSC claims that this speed beat the Koenigsegg Agera RS's record, which set a record on the same highway in 2017, by 46.6 mph. British racing driver Oliver Webb piloted the car. In a video on the SSC North America YouTube channel uploaded October 30, 2020, SSC's founder Jerod Shelby stated that the run had been ruined after they started seeing some doubts, and the only way to fix them was to re-run the top speed in the near future. SSC released a statement on July 21, 2021 stating that the initial record attempt did not reach over 300 mph.

On January 17, 2021, the Tuatara achieved a speed of 279.7 mph during its northbound run and 286.1 mph during its southbound with a two-way average of 282.9 mph over the course of 2.3 mi at Space Florida's Launch and Landing Facility. American dentist and entrepreneur Larry Caplin, owner of the car, piloted it during the run, which was verified with multiple satellite tracking systems from Racelogic, Life Racing, Garmin, and IMRA.

In April 2021 while traveling back to Florida to reattempt the speed record, the Tuatara was damaged after its trailer flipped over in high winds in Utah.

On May 14, 2022, Larry Caplin’s Tuatara reached a one-way speed of 295 mph over the course of 2.3 mi at Space Florida's Launch and Landing Facility. This was verified by two Racelogic VBOX GNSS and a Life Racing GPS speed measurement systems, as well as a Racelogic technician on hand.

Model variants
In May, 2020, SSC North America announced a soft reveal of two Tuatara variants that focused on track abilities.

Tuatara Striker
The Tuatara Striker features additional aerodynamic components that increases downforce for track handling.

Tuatara Aggressor
The Tuatara Aggressor has the same body style as the Striker, but allows the customer to choose from non-road legal options, such as racing seats and a 2200 hp engine upgrade.

"Little Brother" project
CEO Jerod Shelby has shared limited information about a "Little Brother" supercar in early development that will decrease the price-point of a Tuatara-related vehicle to make it available to a larger market.