- Jason Castriota designed the Tuatara concept, the successor to the SSC Ultimate Aero.
- The SSC Tuatara is the car with which Jerod Shelby hopes to reclaim the world's-fastest-car crown from the Bugatti Veyron.
- The SSC Tuatara will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 said to deliver around 1,350 horsepower.
WEST RICHLAND, Washington — Shelby SuperCars has formally unveiled the Tuatara concept, the successor to the SSC Ultimate Aero and the car with which Jerod Shelby hopes to reclaim the world's-fastest-car crown from the Bugatti Veyron.
In a YouTube video, the 43-year-old Shelby (no relation to Carroll Shelby) describes SSC's latest project, which was penned by Jason Castriota, Bertone's former design boss and now head of Saab design.
Says Shelby: "Most manufacturers essentially use the same basic model and body shape for up to 10 years, while only making small refinements to it each year. After only three years in production with the Ultimate Aero, SSC's Tuatara is about to monumentally evolve in the areas of sophistication, design, aerodynamics and sheer all-around performance."
Named for a New Zealand lizard, the Tuatara will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V8 said to deliver around 1,350 horsepower. The midmounted engine will drive the rear wheels through either a conventional seven-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed sequential box with paddle shifters.
The car features a carbon-fiber body wrapped around carbon subframes and aluminum crash structures. The wheels also are constructed of carbon fiber.
Inside Line says: Stay tuned for further pronouncements from southern Washington state.
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kosmo69 says:
07:32 AM, 07/19/2011
is this the flying car everyones been talking about?
ne_blackshirts says:
07:09 AM, 07/19/2011
So what ever became of those Hennessey Venoms???? Thought he was going to smash all the records with the Venom. I figured edmunds would be all over those by now seeing how they leg hump john hennessey so much because he does such excellant work (about average at best for twice the price as everybody else).
q8gear says:
07:02 AM, 07/19/2011
did anyone notice how awkward the window wiper looks? i feel like they finished the car and were like...wait its missing something...oh wait the wiper! lets put it ahh...there...that seems right...
lzks says:
06:32 AM, 07/19/2011
Who is he, and why does he look like Bruce Willis? Either case, we all know the production model will look nothing like this concept, and the interior will be vulgar and spartan.
gts09 says:
04:48 AM, 07/19/2011
This is more of a coompetitor to the Hennessey Venom. not the Bugatti
isend2c says:
02:22 AM, 07/19/2011
I think it looks awesome from the front and back, but the side profile is bland and uninspired. It's mainly due to the lack of any pillars showing supporting the roof, I think. I want this car to come out so all the n00bs who want a Veyron are wrong and don't know that it's not the fastest car in the world anymore (once this comes out).
alex38 says:
12:29 AM, 07/19/2011
Front end definitely Enzo-esque, but hey, the guess they can call the profile their own. Faster than the Veyron on not, it's going to be hoot to drive. Tho it won't likely have the refinement of the Bugatti. Still, great effort
s_hladney says:
09:29 PM, 07/18/2011
Jared Shelby's bald head is a great touch. I wonder...Do you get to rub it for good luck before wrecking your pretty new 1350hp car?
mov3_ovr says:
08:35 PM, 07/18/2011
The Veyron was to super cars what the iPhone was to smart phones...completely revolutionary and some years later still the benchmark.
This car is like the parade of similar touch screen media rich app supported phones that followed the iPhone. It may be evolutionary, but not revolutionary. It may be better or offer more in some areas; heck it might even exceed in every possible measurable category but somehow it never manages to capture the same mystique.
I'm not saying its a bad car; I just don't see it becoming the landmark in automotive history that the Veyron is even if it does break that top speed record.
smexy says:
08:33 PM, 07/18/2011
giant tortuga the slowest reptile in the world.