Evolution doesn’t come quickly.
Some 7 years ago, a company that was known as Shelby SuperCars (no relation to Caroll Shelby) showed the world something called a Tuatara Concept car, a car that SSC claimed should outdo its title-holding Ultimate Aero hypercar?
Well, since its 2011 arrival on the scene as a concept car, little has been said or discussed around SSC, aside from an announcement in 2013 that it was building a track at a production facility in Washington. Since then, there’s been little news from the American firm, sans the introduction of the SSC Ultimate Aero XT, which borrowed parts from the new Tuatara (like the all-new 6.9-litre aluminium twin-turbo V8 and seven-speed automatic).
However, it seems that SSC hasn’t simply thrown in the towel. The Tuatara has completed its gestation period and may finally be ready to be revealed as a (limited) production car, if a teaser by the company is any indication. With the image comes exactly zero technical details on the Tuatara itself, so we’ll have to rely on data that the company released some time ago.
What we know is that the car is named after the Tuatara lizard, indigenous to New Zealand that possesses the fastest-evolving DNA on the planet. We also know that the Tuatara’s solid-aluminium V8 produces an immense 1,007kW of power (though it can be tuned up to 1,268kW) with 1,735Nm of twist. That V8 will scream all the way up to 9,200rpm, running on 91RON fuel. Power goes exclusively to the rear wheels via either a 7-speed manual (!) or a 7-speed SMG semi-automatic transmission.
While the Tuatara has been dogged by delays in its production, there’s little doubt that once this thing hits the road and proves itself as a worthy hypercar contender. Proving itself, however will prove to be quite the task, given the reputation that SSC has (rather, lacks) and the fact that the Ultimate Aero that the Tuatara replaces was far from the prettiest car on the scene.
Also, Hennessy Venom F5 anyone?
