Shelby Supercars already has the fastest production car record with its SSC Ultimate Aero TT, capable of traveling with an average top speed record of 255 MPH. How does the new Ultimate Aero raise the car to 270 MPH?

The 6.4-Liter twin-turbo V8 in the SSC has seen its power pumped up 15% to a gravity-reversing 1,287 HP. This was done with the addition of a one-piece billet aluminum engine block. Because stopping a car going over 250 MPH takes some time, the vehicle now has an AeroBrake to slow the vehicle down.

Additional changes include a slightly revised nose designed to keep the car more stable at the new, higher speeds. The interior of the SSC was also redesigned though, when you're going 270 MPH, we imagine you're not looking anywhere but straight ahead. Full details in the press release below.

SHELBY SUPERCARS UNVEILS NEWLY REFINED 2009 ULTIMATE AERO, 15% HORSEPOWER INCREASE

WEST RICHLAND, WA (December 30, 2008) – After holding the “World’s Fastest
Production Car” for the past year, the Shelby SuperCars’ Ultimate Aero is receiving several
refinements for the 2009 model year. The SSC engineering team equipped the 2009
Ultimate Aero with a 15% increase in horsepower, a revamped front fascia design, and an
array of important interior upgrades. The most substantial change is an SSC-designed,
1-piece billet aluminum engine block. A milestone for the limited-production automobile
manufacturer, the new block improves structural integrity and oiling capabilities allowing
SSC to boost the power output to 1287 horsepower while improving durability.

Armed with the more powerful new engine, the ‘09 Ultimate Aero will be able to reach
world-record speeds of 270 MPH, raising the benchmark for supercars and pushing the
limits of current production car technology. In order to accommodate the ’09 Ultimate
Aero’s unique fuel system requirements, SSC turned to American company Aeromotive to
develop a flawless system. The aggressive nose is redesigned with enhanced aerodynamics
to accommodate the 2009 Ultimate Aero’s higher top speed, and carbon fiber louvers on
the side intakes draw in an additional 20% of air into the radiators for improved cooling. The
improvement in overall performance will widen the already sizeable gap between the
Ultimate Aero and its competitors. The ’09 Ultimate Aero also introduces the AeroBrake™
a rear spoiler system that deploys under braking situations. Finished in carbon fiber, the
rear spoilers actuate up an additional 8” when the brake pedal is depressed. The speed of
the spoiler actuation is set by the amount of brake pedal pressure. The complete AeroBrake
™ system can be disabled by the push of a button, for town driving or situations where
braking and downforce assistance are not necessary.

Rounding out the ’09 Ultimate Aero’s improvements is a revamped interior. A redesigned
dash prominently displays sleek, exposed carbon fiber dash halves and inset air vents.
Carbon fiber accents run along the doorsills, surround the new gauge cluster, and continue
onto a revised steering column, which includes an analog speedometer and tachometer
with a sequential shift light integrated into the tachometer needle. The new center console
incorporates a digital temperature control unit and tire pressure monitor along with an
Azentek PC base Infotainment unit. The revolutionary Azentek unit offers all the capabilities
of a PC and processes SSC’s onboard diagnostic software.

[Source: SSC]

So far, the Bloodhound project has received a donated Eurojet EJ200 fighter jet engine that should propel the car to about the 300 MPH mark. At that point a "hybrid" rocket will take over boosting the vehicle to the 1000 MPH point — and beyond. Of course, the whole Bloodhound will be a hybrid — a jet/rocket hybrid. That's the kind of green engineering we can get behind. [AutoMotto] (Hat tip to Matthew!)