PHOTOS: Meet the 508.73 km/h Tuatara

Move aside Bugatti Chiron, there's a newer beast on the road. Meet SSC Tuatara, which now has the coveted title of world's 'Fastest Production Vehicle'.

First Published Oct 25, 2020, 6:10 PM IST

Move aside Bugatti Chiron, there's a newer beast on the road. Meet SSC Tuatara, which now has the coveted title of world's 'Fastest Production Vehicle'.

Professional racing driver Oliver Webb got behind the wheel of the 1,750hp Tuatara and pushed the hypercar to an average speed of 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h) following two consecutive high-speed test runs of 301.07 mph (484.53 km/h) and 331.15 mph (532.93 km/h) outside of Las Vegas near Pahrump, Nevada along a seven-mile stretch of State Route 160.

Last year, Bugatti was able to get a specially modified Bugatti Chiron to average 304.8 miles per hour (490 km/h) during two test runs on a German track.

SSC's V8 powerplant has a bespoke 5.9L twin-turbo, flat-plane crank engine produces 1,750 horsepower while using E85, and 1,350 horsepower on 91 Octane.

The power from the V8 powerplant is transferred to a CIMA 7-Speed computerized manual transmission working in unison with a state-of-the-art Automac AMT system.

The Tuatara has a carbon-fiber monocoque that provides vital safety to the driver, and is lightweight enough to ensure peak performance. Crash structures across the car generate superior shock-absorbing protection.

The Tuatara has a Sport Mode as the default configuration which sets the car at 4 inch front and 4.5 inch rear ride height, as well as a transmission configuration to allow for docile shifting for ease of operation and city street environments. Besides this, the hypercar has two more modes -- track mode and front lift mode.

On the centre console sits a readily available touch screen system, offering the driver all of the vehicle's toggles, controls, diagnostics, and entertainment in a practical user interface.

At the touch of the screen, the driver has access to the multiple driving modes, tire pressures, complete diagnostics, climate control, music, and more.