On Oct. 10, the reptilian SSC Tuatara hypercar posted an average speed of 316.11 mph (508.73kph) while driving on a seven-mile stretch of two-lane Highway 160 outside Las Vegas. Top Gear can exclusively reveal that Shelby SuperCars (SSC) North America has set a new top speed record for a production car, hitting a v-max of 331mph and setting a two-way average of 316.11mph on a seven-mile stretch of closed road just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. "So we won't have to worry about corrosion or the pins getting loose.". BBC Studios is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC). ", Jerod Shelby (no relation to Carroll) launched SSC in 1998, setting up shop in his hometown of Richland, Washington. The SSC Tuatara hypercar recently broke all records to become the world’s new fastest car. SSC intends to build a production run of 100 Tuatara hypercars. This service is provided by Disqus and is subject to their privacy policy and terms of use. Picked your jaw up off the floor yet? Good. We may need a bigger planet. The SSC Tuatara Is Now the Fastest Car in the World at 316.11 MPH! ", SSC Tuatara Sets Production Car Speed Record, How to Watch the 2022 Electric Hummer Reveal. You still haven't turned off your adblocker or allowed our site. “We came pretty close to meeting the theoretical numbers, which is astonishing to do in a real world setting on a public road. The car wasn’t running out of steam yet. In case you were wondering, the Tuatara’s other run to complete the average was 301.07 mph. Wind was the biggest issue on the day of driving, and Webb thinks the Tuatara has even more speed left in its tank. Get Top Gear news and reviews in your inbox, Enter your email address to receive regular Top Gear newsletters. McLaren 765LT review: how does it handle UK roads? “It’s been ten years since we held this record with our first car, the Ultimate Aero, and the Tuatara is leagues ahead. Click on the icon for your Adblocker in your browser. Having completed the run (and Amazon Prime’d a larger pair of undercrackers to house his new, plumper cajones), Brit Oli Webb had this to say: “There was definitely more in there. "This gearbox actually was originally designed for helicopters, and it's one of the few on the market that could handle the torque that our powerplant puts out," Shelby said. On his first run he hit 301.07 mph (484.53 km/h) – spicy speeds in anyone’s book, but not good enough for an official world record. It only takes a few seconds. Stuttgart’s new range-topping plug-in hybrid saloon has GT2 RS power. The straight section of State Route 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump may ring a bell, especially if you’re a speed freak. ", Every component was carefully considered. And 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. Active aero helps it maintain similar downforce characteristics for the driver from low-to-high speeds. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. From the outset, Castriota stressed the focus on delivering a crazy 0.279 drag coefficient and an aero-centric philosophy. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }, “There was definitely more in there. And the overarching goal, which we set seven years ago now, was to hit 500 kph [312 mph].". On Monday, SSC announced a customer-owned Tuatara, driven by race car driver Oliver Webb, set a new production-vehicle land-speed record of 316.11 mph. SSC has just added nearly 40mph on top of that average. The Tuatara hit a top speed of 331.15 mph in its last run, setting the bar even higher for the highest speed achieved on a public road. The profits we make from it go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund great new BBC programmes. They'll post one sign—"Speed Limit 316," it says–on the side of Nevada Highway 160, between Las Vegas and Pahrump. "I hope to never do that again," he said, laughing. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Essential Gear for Overlanding Adventures, GMC Hummer to Debut on World Series, 'The Voice', Porsche Unveils 689-Horsepower 2021 Panamera, 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS600 to Start at $161,550, 2021 Honda Civic Prices Rise as Lineup Shifts, 1977 Porsche 930 Turbo Stars in 'Cyberpunk 2077', Quickest Cars Under $10K: Window Shop with C/D, GMC Hummer EV Production to Be in 'Factory Zero', iPhone Builder Foxconn Announces EV Platform.