Why it matters: Move over Koenigsegg, there's a new name atop the world's fastest production car list and it belongs to SSC North America, an American company based out of Richland, Washington, that specializes in the production of high-performance automobiles. There's fast, and then there's fast.
SSC North America on Monday said its Tuatara (pronounced twa-tar‐ah) hypercar recently broke the record for world's fastest production vehicle. The feat took place on the morning of October 10, just outside of Las Vegas, on a seven-mile stretch of State Route 160. In accordance with record criteria, an average of two runs within an hour time frame was tallied, driving once in each direction.
Follow up: That SSC Tuatara world record video was misleading
With professional driver Oliver Webb at the wheel, the Tuatara turned in top speed runs of 301.07 mph and 331.15 mph, for an average of 316.11 mph. Webb said the car wasn't running out of power, either. "The crosswinds are all that prevented us from realizing the car's limit," he noted.
Indeed, in an exclusive video published by Top Gear from one of the runs, the car seemingly hits 331 mph effortlessly. I suppose that's what 1,750 horsepower and cutting-edge engineering will do for you.
Koenigsegg has held the top speed record since 2017 when its Agera RS hypercar turned in an average of 277.9 mph. It also did so on Nevada's Route 160, albeit on a longer 11-mile stretch.
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