WEST RICHLAND, WA (SEPT 13, 2007) - Shelby Supercars (SSC), manufacturer of the ultra high-performance Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo, set the new "World's Fastest Production Car" record earlier today with an average top speed of 255.83 mph. Confident of the 1183 hp vehicle's abilities, SSC set out to validate their top speed claim in accordance with the strict guidelines set by Guinness World Records. Among other requirements, in order to meet Guinness' approval, a vehicle testing for the top speed record must race down the course, turn around, and make a second pass in the opposite direction within one hour.

The vehicle's "top speed" is calculated by averaging the top speeds of each pass in order to negate any favorable road or weather conditions. Today, on a temporarily-closed 2 lane stretch of public highway in Washington State, the Ultimate Aero posted a top speed of 257.11 mph (413.83 kph) on its first pass and 254.55 mph (409.71 kph) on its return pass to set the new top speed record at a staggering 255.83 mph (411.76 kph). The data, collected by Dewetron's world-renowned GPS tracking system, and other checks will be verified by Guinness before the Ultimate Aero is officially crowned the "World's Fastest Production Car." This breaks the current official record held by the Koenigsegg CCR at 242 mph by 11.83 mph and the Bugatti Veyron's unofficial speed of 253 mph by 3.11 mph.

According to Mr. Khan, they'll be submitting the full monty of test results and whatnot to Guinness on Monday. And some video to us around the same time. Pa-zam!!

From the man with the very best name on planet earth, Junus Khan, "SSC is launching its 250 MPH Club which offers a variety of insider information. One lucky member from the 250 MPH Club will be selected at random to be flown in to SSC for a day of driving and spending time with Jerod Shelby, the owner of SSC." Good luck to you, dear reader: http://www.shelbysupercars.com/

Press Release:

SSC Ultimate Aero TT Charging

Towards 'World Fastest Production Car' Record

WEST RICHLAND, WA (1 Aug 2007) - Shelby SuperCars (SSC), manufacturer of the world's most powerful production car, the Ultimate Aero TT, announced today that speed testing for the title "World's Fastest Production Car" will be finalized by the end of August. Speed testing is being conducted in the company's home state of Washington and is being validated by Guinness World Records.

There is a standard procedure outlined by Guinness World Records to validate a land speed record. The vehicle must drive the predetermined course, turn around, and drive back the opposite way within one hour. This is to negate any discrepancy there may be in the course or conditions. Top speeds from each run are then averaged to obtain the official speed. This method has been used for decades as the benchmark for land speed record attempts.

Dewetron, a company known for performance testing of missile, train, aerospace, and automotive capabilities will accurately monitor and measure the speed of the Ultimate Aero TT for the record run. Dewetron's equipment is precise that Guinness World Records approved their systems as a replacement for the standard 1,000m laser traps. Dewetron utilizes 4-12 satellites and numerous onboard sensors to track a vehicle's speed.

The lack of access to a US-based proving ground able to accommodate the Ultimate Aero TT's top speed presented SSC with a massive challenge. After scouring the country for months, SSC found the solution in their home state of Washington when they were granted the opportunity to close public highways for testing. Finding appropriate roads eligible for closure proved to be a tedious process as SSC's teams scouted the sites first hand. After a potential site was identified, the company would need to apply for a road closure permit. Hiring police, a crew to man the closed section, and securing insurance for the high-speed test sessions were just a few of the undertakings necessary to be granted the rare closure of public roads.

Since the first test session, SSC has successfully concluded several rounds of high-speed safety and durability testing for each assembly of the Ultimate Aero TT. During these sessions, SSC was able to verify all the engineering specifications as well as aerodynamic data posted at NASA's Langley wind tunnel. Throughout the test sessions, the measured top speed of the Ultimate Aero TT continued to rise, achieving a speed of 241.4 mph at a throttle position of only 71% during the latest transmission durability test. After reviewing all test data, Jerod Shelby and the SSC engineering team feel comfortable in maximizing the capabilities of the 1183 hp Ultimate Aero TT.

For more information on SSC and the upcoming test session visit their new site at www.sscautos.com or contact Motorcars of Las Vegas, the exclusive US dealer for SSC vehicles (www.MotorCarsLV.com).

So many questions. OK, as you probably know, SSC and their Ultimate Aero TT are on a hero's quest to break and thereby set the production car top speed record currently in the hands of the hated Swedes. On March 22 of this year they gave it a go, but because of a jealous Odin snow in Nevada, were only able to hit 230 mph. So, they tried again on May 22. No luck this time out either. Nope, last Tuesday they fell 0.6 mph short. Meaning that the TT did manage to achieve 241.4 mph at "71% throttle." However, according to SSC they weren't actually going for the record. Rather, they were sussing out the transmission cooling system. Which, apparently, works. So here's our questions. First, if this is truly a production car, why didn't they test the transmission on say March 23? Why the Space Shuttle launch like gap between tests? Second...

...SSC claims to be an American car company. If so, what's with the "71% throttle" position? That's more German than a Hasselhoff poster above a bed. Third, come on. They were going for the record. Why fib and say they were just testing? 72% throttle would have blown the thing up? And finally, according to our very poor algebraic skills, 100% throttle would mean... 339 mph? In a vacuum, we know, we know.Whatever the case, look for the Ultimate Aero to break both the Koenigsegg's viking official record of 242 mph and the Veyron's unofficial run of 253 mph with its thrice insane 1,183 hp supercharged V8. SSC's Junus Khan (is that the single greatest name in the world or what?) is claiming they'll be doing so in the very near future. We'll see you in back here in late July. – Jonny Lieberman

Related:
Snow Day: SSC Ultimate Aero TT Not As Ugly As We Thought [Internal]

Here's a picture of the actual Ultimate Aero TT that attempted to break the Veyron's "production car" top speed record but "only" achieved 230mph due to snow and bad roads in Nevada. Which is weird, because if you drive from Los Angeles to Vegas on Interstate 15 – which we may have done once or twice – you notice that on the California side it is a pitted, pot-holed two-lane mess but that the second you cross into bat country Nevada, gambling revenues convert the I-15 into the most perfectly paved, 4-lane mega-highway in all the desert. And it's 115 degrees. Oh, the car. Decked out in carbon-fiber-gray and black the Aero TT looks, dare I say, pretty good. A hell of a lot better than the blue and white iteration that the Postfather so wisely dubbed "dated." No, this car is a very modern pastiche of Murcielago, Zonda, S7 and Koenigseggeggeggeggeggegg with a little bit of Veyron up front for flavor. Full press release once you jump. – Jonny Lieberman

Press release:

American supercar company SSC successfully concluded the first round of high-speed testing on Thursday, March 22nd in its quest to break the world production speed record. Despite encountering some unforeseen obstacles, the Ultimate Aero TT ended the session with a 230mph pass at just 56% throttle in 6th gear.

SSC was forced to move to an alternate location after the original 12 mile high-speed testing site was hit by an unanticipated snowstorm. An inspection of an alternate site, located 30 miles north at a lower elevation, revealed that just 2 of the 9 miles set aside by the Nevada Department of Transportation were usable. Dips, cracks, and an exaggerated road crown on the 2 lane highway rendered the other 7 miles unsuitable for high speeds.

The testing session confirmed the stability that the Ultimate Aero TT demonstrated at NASA's Langely wind tunnel, which had previously shown the car stable up to speeds of 273 mph. During Thursday's session, test equipment verified that front to rear downforce percentages and drag coefficients were well within the engineering specifications set by the figures posted at Langely.

SSC made successive 220 mph passes throughout the day and culminated with a 230 mph run just before the 2pm road closure deadline. A laser speed trap positioned 440ft before the 2 mile marker confirmed the speeds. SSC test driver Rick Doria stated that the 1183 hp Ultimate Aero TT had "a lot more to go" at 230 mph and was confident that the remaining power and proper road conditions would propel the car past the Bugatti Veyron's 253 mph top speed record.

The crew spent the remainder of the afternoon scouting potential sites for the next round of testing. Though SSC hopes to run the second session within the next 2 weeks, their participation at Top Marques Monaco may delay the second test until after the event.

Updates and additional information are available on SSC's website, www.sscautos.com.

Related:
Back to the Wind Tunnel: SSC Falls Short of Speed Record; More: Thrust! SSC to Go After Production Car Speed Record; More: Future Classic Top Gear: Captain Slow Goes 407.4 Kilometers Per Hour! [Internal]

Blame it on the weather. American supercar builder SSC fell 23 mph short of breaking the prouction-car speed record yesterday. The company's 1183-hp Ultimate Aero TT was clocked at 230 mph on a closed stretch of Nevada highway. The snafu was snow (damn you Nevada microclimates), which added a hint of treachery from mother nature. Driver Rick Doria made two passes, the first at 221 mph and on the second he said the off-the-mark reading came via 50% throttle. Expect another attempt within three months' time. – Mike Spinelli

US supercar misses Veyron's record [Autocar]

Related:
Thrust! SSC to Go After Production Car Speed Record [internal]