Jerod Shelby is the founder of a company that aims at turning dreams into reality when it comes to automobiles. He established the SSC North America firm in the year 1999 with an aim to transform his passion for automobiles and racing into something concrete. The firm's website, www.sscnorthamerica.com, says, “Competing with the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg (to name a few), SSC has and continues to exponentially accelerate in its development and production of world class supercars. SSC will soon release a next generation supercar that will up the ante on all levels.” True to its aims, SSC North America has developed a vehicle called the Tuatara, which is being produced with the target of becoming the fastest car in the world.
This vehicle has a completely futuristic design that is inspired from a racing car prototype. It features a teardrop shaped canopy suspended on top of a body resembling a fuselage along with vertical stabilizing fins. This car has been designed using extremely light materials in the one-piece carbon-fibre wheels. Interiors of this car are as futuristic as its exteriors with a highly advanced instrument panel. It comes with features like 300 mph speedometer, 10000 rpm tachometer, sequential shift lights, oil pressure and horsepower gauge. Other than this, standard equipment used in this car includes air conditioning, power windows, power mirrors, tilt-steering and cab-controlled front lift. There is a 10-speaker premium audio system along with a 7.5-inch DVD screen, full time rear view camera and navigation function.
In terms of engine configuration, SSC claims that the billet aluminium turbocharged 6.94-litre V8 engine that will generate an enormous 1350 bhp of power alongside attaining 1735 Nm of torque. As told by the company, the car would run on 91RON rated unleaded premium petrol. The kerb weight of the car is going to be around 1250 kg as carbon fibre materials will be used. As claimed, SSC Tuatara will accelerate from 0 kmph to 100 kmph in just 2.3 seconds. Furthermore, SSC is claiming that Tuatara will beat the record of Buggati Veyron as the fastest production car. According to estimates, the top speed of Tuatara will be 444 kmph. It must be noted that the production version of Buggati Veyron Super Sport clocked a top speed of 431 kmph, which is fastest by any passenger car.
Acknowledging the whole process, SSC Founder and Lead Designer, Jerod Shelby said, “This is a proud moment for all that were part of the engineering team on this project. This amazingly versatile package has already shown that it can easily be driven on a daily basis in any climate or environment in the world and at the same time can roll out of the pit area onto a track like Nurburgring and easily handle any rigours that record will require. Versatile, efficient, docile, savage...Engineering success.”
