It’s not 316 miles per hour, but it’s still fast as hell. And it’s also an official top-speed record for a production car. The SSC team has taken the Tuatara back to a long stretch of land and given this whole thing another go. On a runway in Florida, one designed to handle landing space shuttles, the Tuatara was driven to an average top speed of 282.9 mph. That’s over two runs, with one in each direction to account for any wind assistance.
SSC got a fair bit of heat last year when it posted a video showing it achieving an average top speed of 316 mph. Internet sleuths dug into the video and any data and determined that the speeds shown and discussed simply were not possible. The automaker claims it’s a mixup of footage and data, but the Internet wasn’t so sure. So SSC took its time, found another spot for its record attempts, and set out to properly document and analyze for real-deal proof.
The result? A new record for fastest production. And SSC insists the car does have more in it. The engine was detuned for this run, the gearing changed, and the available distance to make the run was shorter than the prior attempt. Hopefully, the car gets another shot at cracking past the 300 mph mark. For now though, this record set this time is official.
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