Yeah, that’s awkward.
SSC set a new speed record for the fastest production car with a Tuatara hybrid. It ran at 316 mph just three weeks ago. Three years back Koenigsegg set a new speed record at 278 mph using the Agera RS . With SSC’s efforts mired in controversy Koenigsegg seems to be happy to remind us which record it is. At least for now.
Koenigsegg did not mention SSC when Koenigsegg took to social media to mark the three-year anniversary. The niche Swedish automaker did not mention SSC or acknowledge the Tuatara’s record-breaking run in October. It instead celebrated the “world’s fastest production vehicle” and congratulated itself for having built it.
Without context, Koenigsegg’s post could be seen as a tribute to an event that has already happened. The global motoring community is well aware that the post contains subtext. When people noticed discrepancies within the video of the SSC Tuatara’s race, they suspected that the car wasn’t reaching the speed claimed by SSC. SSC later admitted to an error in the video, and the overlay of telemetry. The footage did not match the speed.
SSC claims that even though video and telemetry did not match, speed numbers were accurate and verified. After reaching 301 mph in its initial run, the Tuatara reached a staggering 331 mph during its return. The speed data was GPS-monitored and SSC stated that the numbers had been confirmed by Dewetron, a data and measurement company. Dewetron, however, reportedly changed his mind and retracted the statement. These developments have prompted SSC to conduct a follow up record run with more cameras, speed-measuring equipment, and more witnesses.
Technically, Koenigsegg has some power with the hierarchy in speed-world. It seems that the SSC Tuatara is just as fast as they claim. There’s also the Bugatti Chrome Super Sport 300+, which went 304 mph in one direction, for an unofficial grab of the speed-king title.
Koenigsegg needs to get on with the Jesko, before getting too excited about its Agera RS exploits.