Filed under: Supercars, First Drive
Once more with feeling: SSC Ultimate Aero TT ready for another record speed run
They're at it again. The folks at Shelby SuperCars (SSC) are about to take one more crack at the record books. They have just released a statement saying that they hope to hold the official title of "World's Fastest Production Car" by the end of the month. SSC has done all the paperwork to make sure that when it does in fact take to the track, the Guinness Book of World Records people will be satisfied with the results. That meant getting a suitable venue (in Washington) and using suitable methodology to perform and record the runs. The 1,183-horsepower SSC Ultimate Aero TT already topped 241 mph during shakedown evaluations, almost beating the official record of 242 held by the Koenigsegg CCR, but is ultimately shooting for the Bugatti Veyron's 253 mph unofficial top speed.
Full press release after the jump. We'll keep you posted on the results after the record attempt is made.
[Source: SSC]
PRESS RELEASE:
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)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
javier 3:22PM (8/02/2007)
Just do it already.. we already know the Veyron can do it's top speed unofficial or not.. there was no "Well... how about on the 3rd friday of next week... " or whatever imaginary day they want to come up with so that day will never come... ha ha.. if you "Think" you know your car can do it.. do it.. even if it's unofficial.. atleast you know for yourself.. if it really can do that top speed then it shouldn't need adjusting or the right weather conditions... the top speed of the car is the top speed of the car.. it's going to do it no matter what.. my Passat W8 is governed at 133 so I know what I'm limited to.. but it's speed-o-meter shows 180.. the fastest I've heard anyone who has anykind of visual evidence to prove their claim is 176 so I say that's about what the top speed is for a W8 Passat.. but then again my car never claimed it can do a top speed and would always put off trying a top speed run... come on SSC step up to the plate and just do it...
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Laba 3:43PM (8/02/2007)
I bet that this isn't gonna do this record easily. Look at all the makes with big words but never quite succeeded to beat Bugatti Veyron. Like the Saleen, Koenigsegg, Barabus, Hennessey and others.
And the great thing about a Veyron is that they can pick a random one and it'll do 253mph. Even the press car with many miles achieved 253mph, usually press cars break after 10 000miles and have blown out clucthes.
Also the McLaren F1 and the Koenigsegg and the others(except the Veyron) did their top speed runs with special transmission ratios and with removed revlimiters and with duct tape all over the car.
With the Veyron you can just take a stock random one and Turn the key and do 253mph
John P. 4:26PM (8/02/2007)
why is the veyron top speed still unofficial? someone should make it official or I'm gonna just chalk it up to optimistic speedometers.
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Phillip 5:22PM (8/02/2007)
TopGear ran it with a GPS unit, they hit the topspeed if I remember right.
Good to see an american car taking a crack at this. Twin Turbo Vette motors FTW
John P. 5:37PM (8/02/2007)
oh, I trust it can do 253, I was just trying to stir the pot. :)
One thing for certain, this car is actually a bit uglier than the veyron. It's got late 80's kit car written all over it. Not taking away anything from their attempt though. That is quick and should be very possible to achieve with that motor.
Namir 12:54AM (8/03/2007)
Its unofficial because the ran it on a different track. The veyron topspeed test by Top Gear was on the VW track in
germany, check to google sightseeing link, its pretty awesome
http://googlesightseeing.com/2007/03/21/super-secret-volkswagen-test-track/
The koenigsegg top speed test was done on the Nardo Ring in italy. And unless the Veyron repeats the top speed claim at the nardo ring it isnt considered official.
heres the map of the ring, again.. and amazing sight
http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=1480&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=40.326655,17.827721&z=14
But everyone knows the veyron is faster.
nagmashot 1:10AM (8/03/2007)
@namir
It plays no rule were the Veyron run...it is not officle only by Guniess book of records... It is the officle world record observed by the German TÜV and many other independent car magazines like topgear, auto motor und sport and other who was allowed to do a run at the VW test track...
The fastest McLaren F1 topspeed run was done at the same VW testtrack, the Dauer Porsche 962 LeMans (production car street legal) did in 2003 a officle observed (by German TÜV) topspeedrun factory claim was 400km/h (249mph) but the 962 reached 404.7km/h (252mph)... it was befor the Veyron world record car for highest officle observed topspeed... it was not the world record car by guniess book of records because they had no one there as eyewitnes...same reason why the Veyron isn´t world record car by guiness book... but it is in the real wolrd outside the guiness book..
Isn´t that now their 4th try to top the Veyron topspeed..?
BTW meanwhile the MTM bimoto toped 244mph during a bad weather pre test for their Veyron beating record run later this year in Nardo... the Aero TT is far away from the fastest car on the road...
Veyron 253mph (VW testtrack)
962 LeMans 252mph (VW testtrack)
MTM bimoto 244mph (Papenburg testtrack)
9ff f400 242mph (Nardo 2004)
Koenigsegg 242mph (Nardo 2005)
and if the Aero TT is able to get to 254mph Bugatti turns off the speed limiter and let the Veyron top 275mph..
Farris 5:38PM (8/02/2007)
"With the Veyron you can just take a stock random one and Turn the key and do 253mph"
Actually, Laba, there is a special key that you have to have to get it to go into "hi speed mode." I *think* you have to request it from Bugatti themselves, but I'm not 100% sure. They talked about it on that Top Gear episode where they ran the car up to top speed. The key goes between the driver's door and the driver's seat, IIRC.
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Laba 6:30PM (8/02/2007)
Yeah, I know thats actually what I meant with "turning the key" part.
marsh 7:50PM (8/02/2007)
the key comes with the car
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Bart 10:15PM (8/02/2007)
You can tell the car is made for one thing only. It's a poor attempt at a car, it looks so damn cheap, it even has Ford Focus headlights!
Even if it did 400mph, I simply dont care. There's nothing interesting about the car. Well maybe the rims would look good on my girlfriend's Corolla.
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shaun 11:25AM (8/03/2007)
i guess we'll see what happens. i don't understand why everyone is so hard on this company, like they're doing something so wrong? they're a small US company challenging very large automotive companies. bugatti tried so many times with huge set backs, doesn't anyone remember the transmission failure a few years ago? or the crash at monterey? also they've publicsized ALL their attempts which they claim is also their safety and durability testing. this is something that no other company has ever done. usually companies just do their testing behind closed dorrs and only come out to the public once they've done something "good". i give respect to ssc, especially because they are up front with everyone, maybe too much for their own good and only because people can't rationalize why. also i did some research, the reason the bugatti is unofficial is because they used their own testing equipment on their own track with only an outside driver and they won't let their car off the track for alternate testing (jeremey even made a comment about it on TopGear). i think everyone should look at the facts before make irrational opinions and see it for what it is.
" the Aero TT is far away from the fastest car on the road...
Veyron 253mph (VW testtrack)
962 LeMans 252mph (VW testtrack)
MTM bimoto 244mph (Papenburg testtrack)
9ff f400 242mph (Nardo 2004)
Koenigsegg 242mph (Nardo 2005"
-to me it seems it is only 5 cars away from your arguement and i'm pretty sure that's in the top .05% of cars...especially since three of those five aren't considered true production cars.
"come on SSC step up to the plate and just do it... "
-isn't that what they're doing? they don't have to let us know everytime they try but they're being up front with it...look at how many cars have outrageous claimes, Bristol Fighter T for example, but it is extremely rare for companies to actually go and try it. and they're doing it on two lane roads in washington! am i the only one who thinks that's ballsy? i'm sure if they had unlimited use to a track like Bugatti does through VAG it'd be much more comfortable, perfect asphalt, no wind, 7 mile straights...i think i read ssc was only using a total of 5 miles to accelerate and slow down.
you may all look at me as an ssc fan boy, but i'm a car enthusiast who's looking at the facts and not making outrageous opinions like "the car sucks cause is uses headlights from a focus" or "it's only designed for one thing" they car beat the enzo in the slalmom at road and track a while ago...
bottom line, get the facts straight and make an educated posted...
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sarah 4:18PM (8/03/2007)
Ofcourse! Who cares about performance if you can just sit there and look pretty? I mean image is the only thing cars are about right?
Harvy 7:01PM (8/03/2007)
All I'm trying to say since I think you misunderstood me.. I like what their doing... I like the fact that they are a small company trying to stand up to the big boys.. which is why I like what Hyundai and Kia are doing as of here in the last 2 or three years... back to my point.. they've already had a few chances but I remember reading that the driver was "Scared" to give it all it had.... WTF.. you're a professional driver and you get scared about it's power.. someone get a real driver with some balls on that thing.. like a professional drag racer.. or a NASCAR driver since the Nardo track in Italy is a circle.. ha ha.. NASCAR drivers should be used to that.. ha ha.. I hope you understand where I'm coming from now..
Frank Filipponio 7:21PM (8/03/2007)
Harvy, it's true that they should hire a professional driver, and they have from the beginning. Just because they aren't NASCAR or drag racing marquee names doesn't mean they aren't good at what they do. And to address your claim, I don't believe any of the drivers have said they were scared. The track and the power may have been scary, but the drivers weren't scared to the point of quitting. Big difference.
And don't forget that the recent test runs were shakedown runs to test that all of the systems were operational. You don't just build the car and take it outside and see if it will do 270 on its first attempt. You work up to that speed. Try 150, 200, 220, 230, etc. Bugatti went through the same process and didn't advertise all of the steps, just like many companies wouldn't.
The other thing to consider is that rather than shipping the car to Europe to use the top speed tracks over there, SSC has tried to find suitable public roads. I would have thought they might have tried to use Bonneville or one of the other salt lake beds, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards, so long, flat and straight roads it is. Nevada wasn't really that good last time, so maybe Washington will be better.
Many professional drivers will balk at the idea of going over 200, let alone up to 270, on the streets. That is why they used guys who have experience with open road challenge racing. Guys who have set records in the Silver State Challenge or at the Virginia City Hillclimb events. It might be better to just bite the bullet and ship the cars to Nardo, but for now, this is the best possible combination to achieve the record in their minds.
javier 3:27PM (9/04/2007)
Just do it already.. we already know the Veyron can do it's top speed unofficial or not.. there was no "Well... how about on the 3rd friday of next week... " or whatever imaginary day they want to come up with so that day will never come... ha ha.. if you "Think" you know your car can do it.. do it.. even if it's unofficial.. atleast you know for yourself.. if it really can do that top speed then it shouldn't need adjusting or the right weather conditions... the top speed of the car is the top speed of the car.. it's going to do it no matter what.. my Passat W8 is governed at 133 so I know what I'm limited to.. but it's speed-o-meter shows 180.. the fastest I've heard anyone who has anykind of visual evidence to prove their claim is 176 so I say that's about what the top speed is for a W8 Passat.. but then again my car never claimed it can do a top speed and would always put off trying a top speed run... come on SSC step up to the plate and just do it...
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Vectortrance 7:05PM (10/08/2007)
http://www.driverslife.com/2007/10/08/move-over-bugatti-guiness-verifies-ssc-ultimate-aero-speed-record/
Looks like they did it!
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ksspence84 3:15PM (2/07/2008)
I hope all the people that are thrashing the Aero and getting a woody over the Bugatti are not Americans.I liked the show Top Gear until I heard the announcers trash talking about all American sports cars but mostly the new Aero .V.W. has been building cars for ever and yes the Bugatti is a masterpiece,but how about a little credit where credit is due.This is the first car from Shelby Super Cars.Any old lady with 1.5 million dollars can buy and drive a Veyron, but it takes a MAN to handle the Aero.Most of the people commenting on the Aero make it sound like you set on a bucket to drive the thing.The pictures I've seen show a very beautiful car inside and out.Some articals say they are building up to 50 of the Aero's, so maybe the enginering flaws as some of you are calling them will not matter in the hands of the right drivers.If the Veyron builders are so confident they should ask Mr. Shelby over for a side by side comparison on the same track.I'd bet money the Aero would out do the Bugatti in every test.The Veyron has yet to make a "Official" run at the record.
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David 5:26AM (4/26/2009)
Guinness World Records Bio fuel ?
Ok did you know carbon fiber is 00-0% recycle.
And traffic jams!!! are everwhere---
the cost you sir is
---- 99million rubys 6 Deth-Stars for stig .And 18 wourlds full of super models and super cars...for top gear...
But it dosen't matter. lets se what it ''can do".on our test drive...
Hay vector...got to tell you about my uncules car it has an aero..aero from the 1930ts in my faimalys Stanton corvette number 53 ..
I still own newzealand roads with my nitro powerd Honda modifide Mick Doohan's NSR 500 Gp motorcycle. has any one tryed peopel in newzealand still youse the word ""TuN"" spelling is (TONE) as in 160 k/mh-some peopel have olny been up to 140kmh becoues our roads are (a joke ) for smooth niss...
My honda motorcycle the NSR its 19yrs old from 1989! and is city eater olny geard for 320 k/mh.There are faster bikes out there just not fast riders.....Where do thay go ??
I'v done 290km/h thats the fastest Ive been.on it -a freinds clocked radar gun(miqwave) locked on to me .....My uncles stanton corvette can do 202mph and that is from 1953!! its chain driven diff...it had 1000hp airoplane engine in it ( an aero)- now just a 350 chevy
Rember about the Britten motorcycle-Well watch out theres one called top secret
Actually I olny forgot the name..KZ 1 -zr ?? there are few words about it dose any one know ! please comment if you know....
Top theritical -speed nearly 400 km/h..has clocke-t at 370km/h at not fell rev/s and has 1000cc displacement .//KTM and another one from maybe kawazaki! ?
so watch out again.move over you cars..A newzealand man is going to take the show........just not me......OH............Rember Category "ZR", For vehicles with a speed capability over 240 Km/h Buy these tyres Olny please....
and visert new zealand possom born had a bit sa porche 962/ 0911 I think so watch out,,,New cars kiwis always come off better oh sorry .....Bad comment we are all freinds
he crashed at 400km/h Im not suprised .I did the same road at
even at 170k/m in 4th gear on my NSR HONDA The enginis Mid way to iddle and Have to keep both hands on the handel grips. Air strips olny 4km long too...Please keep new reports of the Aero TT / and faster vehicals And add coments
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