SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

The Shelby SuperCars has admitted that the SSC Tuatara never achieved the 500+ km/h top speed. The shocking revelation comes a few months after the brand claimed it had breached the 500km/h barrier.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

In October 2020, American supercar manufacturer SSC was all over the headlines for building a car that can travel at speeds beyond 500kmph. It became the 'world's fastest car' as SSC claimed the Tuatara clocked an average of 508.73km/h.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

After the company released the footage of the record-breaking run, the whole automotive world watched it without blinking an eye. However, the whole drama about the top speed unravelled when a YouTuber revealed discrepancies in the footage by doing a few mathematical calculations.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

From the footage released, the YouTuber calculated the actual speed the Tuatara was doing. To prove this wrong, the team at SSC did the most American thing. They decided to do another run at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at the Kennedy Space Centre.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

However, this plan backfired for SSC. In the second run, SSC could manage an average top speed of 455.2kmph, which is a long shot away from their claimed top speed from the first run.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

Six months after the second run flopped, SSC has finally admitted that the original record-run is not genuine. It is unsure if the top brass of the brand knew about the botched up numbers and if they did, how long they have known it for.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

What happened at the run doesn't change the fact that the SSC Tuatara is a beast. Under that sleek carbon-fibre body is a 5.9-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine that puts out 1,726bhp while gulping E85 fuel.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

The engine is paired with a 7-speed AMT gearbox, and the whole car weighs a mere 1,247kg, which is less than a Volkswagen Golf for instance. Further aiding the performance is a well-engineered shell with a Drag-Coefficient of 0.279.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

Reports reveal that the brand is planning to do another record run. The SSC Tuatara could achieve the mind-boggling top speed this time around.

SSC Tuatara’s 500+Km/h Top Speed Record Proven Wrong; SSC Admits To Botched Up Figures

Thoughts On SSC Tuatara Top Speed Record Being Fake

Even though SSC did fiddle with the information from the original run, the brand has now admitted its mistake. SSC didn't shy away from the media or its customers regarding this, which is truly commendable. The brand is planning a new record run this time around and could actually pull it off this time. All eyes are now on the upcoming top speed record run.

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Read more on: #auto news
Article Published On: Saturday, July 24, 2021, 14:06 [IST]
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