Watch A SSC Tuatara Owner Hit 295 Mph In Just 2.3 Miles

SSC North America is eager to demonstrate the Tuatara’s highly touted 300 mph (483 km/h) speed, and a new record run brings them closer to their goal. The US-built supercar reached 295 mph (474.8 km/h) in the 2.3-mile stretch of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.

Racelogic recorded the speed using dual VBOX GNSS devices and an additional Life Racing GPS unit to eliminate any reasonable dispute. The record run occurred on May 14, 2022. Larry Caplin, the owner of the SSC Tuatara, smashed his previous record.

First and foremost, let us take a trip back in time. The supercar has attempted to break the 300 mph barrier multiple times. It all started in October 2020, when the reported 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h) speed proved inaccurate. Another run was planned for December 2020, but the Tuatara only accomplished 251.2 mph (404 km/h) owing to engine heat constraints.

In January 2021, an average speed of 282.9 mph (455.3 km/h) earned it the title of the world’s fastest production automobile, but SSC was unsatisfied. A new record run was planned for May 2021, but the truck transporting the Tuatara overturned, damaging the supercar. This brings us to the May 2022 record, which is the finest.

The SSC Tuatara is made of carbon fibre and has a drag coefficient of 0.279 cd. When operating on methanol, the supercar’s twin-turbo 5.9-litre V8 engine produces 1,750 horsepower (1,300 kW / 1,768 PS). A CIMA seven-speed automatic transmission sends power to the rear wheels.

“The sheer rate of acceleration that the Tuatara was producing through 295 mph really told us that this car is not even close to reaching its ceiling. All the data and imagery has given us a clear picture that the limiting factor wasn’t the car, but the fact that we ran out of runway,” said Jerod Shelby, SSC North America founder and CEO.

“No road car I’ve seen pulls like that. I believe that this is the only car that I know of right now that can be verified running 300, especially in such a short distance.” Mitchell Townsend, analyst and Racelogic technician, said.

His remarks are directed at the SSC Tuatara’s contemporaries; namely, the Hennessey Venom F5, which recently exceeded 271.6 mph (437 km/h) during test runs on the same runway.

Koenigsegg is another contender for the speed record, having just produced the first Jesko Absolut development car with a top speed of 330 mph (531 km/h).

As previously stated, Bugatti exited the speed record business following the 304.77 mph (490.48 km/h) one-way run of the Chiron Super Sport 300+ on the Ehra-Lessen track in September 2019.