NEW YORK: It’s certainly not unusual for cars that have long since been discontinued to make a comeback years later, but it’s definitely unusual for a car that never really existed in the first place to come back from the dead. That’s what’s happening though with the SSC Tuatara, a supercar that a company formerly known as Shelby SuperCars showed off in 2011.
Back in 2011 when the car last broke cover, its makers were trying to reclaim the record for the world’s fastest production car for its parent company, which had previously held the title with a car called the Ultimate Aero. Now it appears to be back from the dead as the manufacturer has released a new teaser image, accompanied by the tagline “the evolution is coming.”
Back in 2011 the car was nothing more than a concept, so it was never actually launched in the traditional sense. But apart from the intriguing teaser image, the company hasn’t revealed anything else about the car.
The Tuatara is named after a lizard from New Zealand that is best known for having the fastest-evolving DNA on Earth. The last time anyone heard of the car was in 2013, when it was said to be on course to be produced in southeastern Washington with a ticket price of some US$1.3 million (RM5.2mil).
It’s believed the building of the factory was delayed while the company’s founder, Jerod Shelby, looked to secure financing. In 2016, the Tri-City Herald newspaper reported SSC had broke ground on the facility in 2013, but that no further work on the site had been carried out.
When it was last being promoted, the Tuatara concept was said to boast 1,350hp and 1,740Nm of torque, courtesy of a 6.8-litre V-8 engine. The company’s previous car, the Ultimate Aero, previously held the fastest production car record with a top speed of 413kph. But if the Tuatara is going to reclaim the record, it now probably needs to top 482kph as time, and technology, have moved on considerably.
sc/cm – Relaxnews
Keyword: SSC Tuatara back from the dead