SSC began working on the Tuatara series in 2011, but it wasn’t until last year that the shipment schedule was approved. The first hypercar will be handed over to its owner at the Monterey Car Week kicking off on August 9, 2019.
The creators of the hypercar claim the tuatara is the single fastest-going stock car in the world. It can accelerate as high as 300 mph (480 km/h) in a straight line, making it faster than the Bugatti Chiron and Koenigsegg’s latest land rockets. It hits 60 mph (97 km/h) in 2.5 seconds and finishes a quarter-mile (402 m) in 9.75 s.
The above performance figures have good reasons to exist. The all-carbon vehicle weighs hardly more than 2,750 pounds (1,250 kg), has extremely low aerodynamic drag (0.279) and comes powered by a purpose-built monster V8. The unit has 5.9 liters of displacement room and produces 1,350 horsepower (1,007 kilowatts) on regular gasoline. Pour in E85 instead, and the power rises to 1,750 hp (1,305 kW). The transmission is modded seven-speed manual, equipped with an electronic control chip for faster gear switching (usually within 100 milliseconds).
SSC does not reveal how much the customer who pre-ordered the first Tuatara ended up paying for it.