The Tuatara’s story of top speed continues.
The SSC Tuatara began 2021 with a bang. The American hypercar set a new speed record in its second attempt. This is a resounding victory for the critics of last year’s tainted attempt. The Tuatara was unable to reach the claimed speed, but its average speed of 282.9 mph (455.2 km/h) beat the previous record set by the Koenigsegg Agera RS in November 2017.
The Tuatara’s pursuit of top speed was not over. Larry Caplin, owner and driver of record-breaking Tuatara said that he was eager to return and attempt to reach 300 mph (482 km/h).
He’s quite confident about reaching that goal. In an interview with Top Gear Dr. Caplin stated that he is confident about reaching that goal. At 286.1 mph, he was able to travel 2,000 feet (0.6km) before the flag. This was the absolute fastest Tuatara ever attempted in this record-breaking effort. He believes there is still a lot to do. Now the question is where and when.
The Tuatara’s second official run was at Space Florida’s Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds. The runway was only 2.3 miles (3.75 km), and the Tuatara used 1.9 mi (3km) to reach its absolute maximum speed.
Dr. Caplin was forced to accelerate to the maximum speed possible. This created heat earlier and was different to other supercars’ top speeds.
The Bugatti Super Sport’s 304-mph run at Ehra Lessen was a comparison. It had a longer 5.4-mile (8.7 km) straightaways and a banking corner which allowed it to build speed slowly over a long distance. There was a stretch of 7 miles on the Nevada highway where the controversial first Tuatara race took place.