SSC North America mentions that the hypercar can be fitted with a targa roof.
The race to 300 mph has begun. Koenigsegg believes that its Agera RS could surpass the record-breaking 277.87 mph (446.97 kph), while Hennessey is finishing up its new Venom F5. We are not surprised that Bugatti said that a top speed run with Chiron may never occur. However, we don’t think it is too unlikely that the people from Molsheim will reconsider their position.
SSC North America has joined the race with its new Tuatara. It was unveiled at the Pebble Beach last month as a follow up to its 2011 nameake concept. According to a CEO statement, the company believes it is the only one capable of breaking the 300-mph barrier. Jerod Shelby, head honcho at the automaker, stated the following in an interview with Top Gear magazine:
Although the final version is still in development, SSC North America is pleased to report that the current drag coefficient of 0.279 has exceeded the original target. There is still much work to lower this number and increase downforce. Jerod also mentioned that the hypercar was engineered to accept a targa roof, which could be added later.
The engine is a twin-turbo 5.9-liter V8 that can produce 1,350 horsepower using regular fuel, and 1,750 horsepower when using E85. Jerod was kind enough to share more details. He mentioned that the engine has dual injectors per piston and can automatically adapt to the fuel it is being fed.
SSC North America and AutoMac are collaborating to create the seven-speed computerized manual gearbox. It is described as a “robotic, all hydraulic system with three driving modes: comfort; sport; track”.
The production will be limited to 100 cars, and customers deliveries are expected to start next summer. Although it’s impossible to predict when and if the tires will be able to withstand such high speeds, we are optimistic that it will be happening sooner than expected.