This is the average of two runs. The absolute speed at its highest point was 286.1 mph.
SSC North America was forced to redo the Tuatara’s first top speed attempt after it was tainted by controversy. The hypercar marque claims that it set a new speed record in an official second run to clear up any allegations of tampering with video footage from the October run.
Instead of returning to Nevada State Route 160, where the first attempt was made, SSC gained access at Space Florida’s Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds. We’ve seen a lot. top speed runs It took place on the former Space Shuttle runway in Florida. However, no other car has been faster than the Tuatara.
SSC hired Oliver Webb, a professional racing driver, to run the first top speed lap. The owner of the car did the second lap on January 17, 2021. Larry Caplin was able to drive the Tuatara for 2.3 miles (3 km) and hit an incredible 244 mph (393 km/h). After just one mile, Dr. Caplin reached an astonishing 294 mph (393 km/h).
The Tuatara ran in two directions to qualify for the record. The average speed of the Tuatara was 282.9 mph (450.1 km/h), northbound. SSC reports that the car took 2.87 seconds to accelerate between 274 and 286 mph (441 – 460 km/h) during the southbound run. The Tuatara traveled only 1.9 miles (3 km) between 0 and 286 mph.
According to the man at the wheel, he had a “taste of full power” in the seventh-place run and was eager to return to the track to try and hit the magic 300-mph mark. Although it is unclear when the next attempt will be made, it appears that SSC has not stopped working on these top speed runs.
Although there are not many cars capable of reaching 275 mph (443 km/h), engine builder Tom Nelson claims that the SSC Tuatara can accelerate ten times faster that any other production car anywhere in the world. Nelson Racing Engines designed the hypercar’s twin-turbo 5.9 liter engine. This flat-plane crank V8 produces 1,750 horsepower on E85, and 1,350 hp when running on 91 octane.
Jerod Shelby, CEO at SSC North America, explains what the difference is
According to SSC the company used Racelogic (VBox), Life Racing and Garmin devices to register all relevant numbers.
The Tuatara’s average speed is 282.9 mph (455.2 km/h). This is faster than the Agera RS in which Niklas Lilja, a Koenigsegg factory driver, set an average speed of 277.87 mph (247.19 km/h), in November 2017. The Tuatara had an absolute speed of 286.1 mph, compared to 284.55 mph for the Swedish hypercar. Koenigsegg Agera RS
The Bugatti Chiron SuperSport 300+, driven by Andy Wallace at the Ehra-Lessien testing facility by Volkswagen Group in August 2019, was at 304.77 mph (490.48 kilometers/h). The top speed was achieved in one direction due to years of driving cars clockwise on roads that have a grain in that direction. The opposite direction would have created heat and increased risk.
Hennessey wants to be part of the action as well with its hypercar, the Venom F5. It has a claimed top speed of 311 mph (500 km/h), but the Texas tuner-turned-carmaker needs to back up that statement with a top speed run, planned to take place later this year.
It is quite certain that Koenigsegg will be looking to reclaim its speed title with the new Jesko Absolut. Officially proclaimed as the fastest car, it has been a long time since. The theoretical maximum speed is 330 mph (532 km/h), but it remains to see how this number will translate in real life.
Check out our list of Fastest Cars In the World.