The record for the world’s fastest production car is a title that belongs to the SSC Tuatara which is an American hypercar.
This might come as a bit of a surprise to most, but the SSC team has had its sights on this record since the date the Koenigsegg Agera RS reached its previous world record speed, and now, SSC owns the title.
Speed Breaks the 300 MPH Mark
The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport reached a world record speed of 267.8 mph in 2010 and in 2017, the Koenigsegg Agera RS topped this mark with a speed of 277.9 mph. On October 10 of this year, the SSC Tuatara hypercar tool the top spot with an incredible speed of 316.11 mph. This mark makes it the fastest production car in the world and the first American car to hold this title in a long time.
Amazing Power and the Right Driver
The SSC Tuatara is a car that has 1,750 horsepower coming out of the engine to give the driver the most power for the speed desired. The driver of the world record run is Oliver Webb. He performed two back-to-back test runs of 301.07 mph and 331.15 mph which averaged to give us the top speed quoted.
Conditions Weren’t Perfect, but the World Record Was Set
Webb reported the conditions in which he was driving left something to be desired. The crosswinds kept him from pushing the Tuatara to the point of realizing its ultimate limit, which might be much more than the 316.11 mph. The last time SSC held the title of fastest production car was in 2007 with the Ultimate Aero which set the record at 256 mph. This record was shattered only a few years later by the Veyron.
Requirements for this World Record
As you might expect, there are some rules involved in setting this world record as a production vehicle. The car must drive the same route in opposite directions, which creates the averaged speed that gives the “true” top speed. All cars must be production vehicles that a regular customer could by, run on street tires, and perform the record speed on a public road. This makes for quite a spectacle for any car performing the run.
More Records Set by the SSC Tuatara
Other records that are part of the mix when the SSC Tuatara made its world-record-setting run include the Fastest Flying Mile on a Public Road at a speed of 313.12 mph, Fastest Flying Kilometer on a Public Road at 321.35 mph, and Highest Speed Achieved on a Public Road at 441.15 mph.
The SSC Tuatara features a mid-engine 5.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that’s mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. Along with the horsepower, this engine produces 1,280 lb.-ft. of torque to offer amazing performance. This world record run has been submitted to Guinness World Records for verification and once completed, this car will be official the fastest production car in the world.
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