America’s first supercar company has once again become proud owners of the fastest car in the world.
The SSC Tuatara, which was driven by British racing driver Oliver Webb, was able to reach a remarkable top speed of 331.15mph during two test runs near Las Vegas on October 10. The test runs themselves were done on a closed stretch of road.
Not only that, but the Tuatara maintained an average speed of 316.11mph. To put this into context, the Bugatti Chiron’s unofficial effort was just 304.77mph last year during a drive in Ehra – Lessien, Germany.
This top speed set by the Tuatara also easily surpassed the previous record set by Koenigsegg’s Agera RS.
Following this remarkable drive, Webb told Top Gear: “With better conditions, I know we could have gone faster.
"As I approached 331 mph, the Tuatara climbed almost 20mph within the last five seconds. It was still pulling well.
"As I told Jerod, the car wasn’t running out of steam yet. The crosswinds are all that prevented us from realising the car’s limit.”
The CEO of SSC Jerod Shelby, meanwhile, added: “It’s been 10 years since we held the record with our first car, the Ultimate Aero and the Tuatara is leagues ahead.
“It’s performance reflects the dedication and focus with which we pursued this achievement.”
Shelby continued: “My goal was always to beat this record by such a substantial amount that maybe it’s going to stand in for a little while.
“I felt like that’s what McLaren did back in the late nineties, and they held that record a long time because they just smashed the record.”
The SSC also equipped the car with mounted cameras inside, which provided Top Gear with exclusive onboard footage of the historic moment that Webb managed to hit the incredible 331mph speed.
The run was filmed as part of a documentary that highlight the car’s journey from concept to creation and the eventual speed record attempt.
The film is planned for release by SSC later this year.