Manoli Katakis 
SSC North America has been pretty quiet since earlier this year. Following a controversial speed run last year, the SSC Tuatara nevertheless managed to set a new production car top speed record in just 2.3 miles of tarmac at Florida’s Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds in January, reaching 286 mph. Founder and CEO Jerod Shelby explained in an interview with MC&T that the plan is to hit 300 miles per hour in that same stretch, before going on to test the theoretical top speed limits of the Tuatara, which is estimated to be 345 miles per hour.
The team was well on their way to doing just that over the spring time. However, the vehicle carrier that was transporting the record-setting SSC Tuatara flipped, due to high winds while passing through the state of Utah. The vehicle was heavily damaged, and sent SSC into a scramble to repair the car, setting back the next record run attempt.
However, there’s good news to report in regards to the next SSC Tuatara record run: it’s back on track.
“What I can tell you now is that we’ve recovered from this accident, and we’re in the process of setting up a 300 mph run currently,” an SSC North America engineer answered during a Q&A session on the company’s Instagram page, posted as a Story. Further details were not immediately disclosed.
The SSC Tuatara is powered by a 1,750 horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 built by Nelson Racing Engines, and carries a price tag of $1.9 million USD. Only 100 of them will be built, at a pace of 25 units per year.
SSC Tuatara, Striker, Aggressor Hypercars
The SSC Tuatara will also spin off two other variants of the 1,750 horsepower hypwercar: the high-downforce Striker, and the track-only Aggressor. While the Striker retains the same 1,750 horsepower rating as the standard SSC Tuatara, the Aggressor will have an output of 2,200 horsepower. Only 10 of these track-only machines will be built.
Customers will be treated to over 14 pages of unique options to choose from, with near-infinite levels of customization.
