Shelby SuperCars (SSC) first showed off its forthcoming supercar, the Tuatara, last month in Shanghai, and now we've gotten our first look at the car here in Monterey. The Tuatara (pronounced twu‐tar‐ah), was unveiled earlier today on the concept car lawn at Pebble Beach.
Designed by Jason Castriota of Ferrari P4/5 fame, the Tuatara is SSC's second supercar. While the car you see here is a design model, the production version will feature a bespoke twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 producing 1,350 horsepower, a carbon fiber sub-frame chassis, and one-piece carbon fiber wheels. While the car seen here lacks a full interior and isn't a complete runner, the design has undeniable presence, with a futuristic yet organic look that is miles ahead of its predecessor, which looked far more kit-car than supercar. What's more, the engine is said to be an all-new creation, it won't be General Motors-based like its forebearer.
We caught up with company founder Jerod Shelby, who informed us he already has five pre-orders for the car, which will be built in Washington state. Shelby is hoping to build about 16 units per year, but the facility will have a capacity of 40 units should the demand be there. He estimates that deliveries will start in the first quarter of 2013, with each example going for "just in excess of one million dollars."
While the Tuatara's predecessor, the Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo, set a new 'production car' top speed record of nearly 256 mph in 2007 (since eclipsed by Bugatti), the ever-ambitious Shelby tells Autoblog he plans to take an example to the Nürburgring soon in hopes of setting the production car record.
Designed by Jason Castriota of Ferrari P4/5 fame, the Tuatara is SSC's second supercar. While the car you see here is a design model, the production version will feature a bespoke twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 producing 1,350 horsepower, a carbon fiber sub-frame chassis, and one-piece carbon fiber wheels. While the car seen here lacks a full interior and isn't a complete runner, the design has undeniable presence, with a futuristic yet organic look that is miles ahead of its predecessor, which looked far more kit-car than supercar. What's more, the engine is said to be an all-new creation, it won't be General Motors-based like its forebearer.
We caught up with company founder Jerod Shelby, who informed us he already has five pre-orders for the car, which will be built in Washington state. Shelby is hoping to build about 16 units per year, but the facility will have a capacity of 40 units should the demand be there. He estimates that deliveries will start in the first quarter of 2013, with each example going for "just in excess of one million dollars."
While the Tuatara's predecessor, the Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo, set a new 'production car' top speed record of nearly 256 mph in 2007 (since eclipsed by Bugatti), the ever-ambitious Shelby tells Autoblog he plans to take an example to the Nürburgring soon in hopes of setting the production car record.
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Featured Gallery SSC Tuatara at Pebble Beach
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