This carmaker claims world’s fastest car title, once again

It seems that the third time’sthe charm for SSC.

After two bungled attempts at a speed record, the beleaguered UShypercar company reported on Wednesday thatits $1.9million Tuatara hit an average top speed of 282.9 mph (455.28 km/h)during two runs at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida onJan. 17. The recorded speed, while not high enough to beat the 304.77 mph a modified Bugatti Chironachieved in 2019,surpassedthe 277.9 mph record time for a production car set by the Koenigsegg Agera RS in 2017.

The news comes after SSC became embroiled in controversy trying tograb top speed bragging rights last year. On October 19,SSC sent out data and announcements that the Tuatara had achieved 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h), an average speedbetween 331 mph driven in one direction down Highway 160 near Pahrump, Nevada, and 310 mph driven in the opposite direction.Oliver Webb, the 29-year-old Briton who piloted the vehicle, called it “a Neil Armstrong moment." Much wasmade about the supposed achievement.

But eagle-eyed YouTubers called foul,pointing to discrepancies in at least threedifferent videos produced by Driven that claim to depict the cockpit of the Tuatara on its record run. Somepointed to blurring ofspeedometer and dashboard gauges covered by video graphics.

Others were more exacting. In a 21-minute film, YouTuberTim Burtondissected the videos, using landmarks on the road, screenshots from the cockpit, and GPS tracking data to arguethat the Tuatara could not have beentraveling as fast as the videos reported.Burton even noted discrepancies betweenthe gear ratios, the measurement of the Michelintires used,and the car’srev limit—figures often use to triangulate speed.

It seems that the third time’sthe charm for SSC.

After two bungled attempts at a speed record, the beleaguered UShypercar company reported on Wednesday thatits $1.9million Tuatara hit an average top speed of 282.9 mph (455.28 km/h)during two runs at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida onJan. 17. The recorded speed, while not high enough to beat the 304.77 mph a modified Bugatti Chironachieved in 2019,surpassedthe 277.9 mph record time for a production car set by the Koenigsegg Agera RS in 2017.

The news comes after SSC became embroiled in controversy trying tograb top speed bragging rights last year. On October 19,SSC sent out data and announcements that the Tuatara had achieved 316.11 mph (508.73 km/h), an average speedbetween 331 mph driven in one direction down Highway 160 near Pahrump, Nevada, and 310 mph driven in the opposite direction.Oliver Webb, the 29-year-old Briton who piloted the vehicle, called it “a Neil Armstrong moment." Much wasmade about the supposed achievement.

But eagle-eyed YouTubers called foul,pointing to discrepancies in at least threedifferent videos produced by Driven that claim to depict the cockpit of the Tuatara on its record run. Somepointed to blurring ofspeedometer and dashboard gauges covered by video graphics.

Others were more exacting. In a 21-minute film, YouTuberTim Burtondissected the videos, using landmarks on the road, screenshots from the cockpit, and GPS tracking data to arguethat the Tuatara could not have beentraveling as fast as the videos reported.Burton even noted discrepancies betweenthe gear ratios, the measurement of the Michelintires used,and the car’srev limit—figures often use to triangulate speed.

Tuatara’s claim soon unraveled.Dewetron, the Austria-based company that supplied the GPS speedrecorder, published a statement refuting an SSC press release that said the companyhad validated the record.And on October 28, SSC published statements admitting that the onboard videosreleased depicting the alleged 331mph run were “substantially incorrect."

A second attempt on December 12 and13, posted to YouTube by Nürburgring taxi driver and car world personality Robert Mitchell,ran into myriad issues that includedoverheating and a hood that wouldn’t stay shut. (Larry Caplin,a Tuatara owner and Philadelphia-area physician, was behind the wheel.)

Mitchell was also the onlyperson not directly associated with SSC who was onsite during the January 17 run. No media or Guinness witnesses were in attendance. SSC founder Jerod Shelby told Bloomberg in an emailthat he had “personally" invited Burton, who blew the whistle on the last attempt, “as a show of full transparency," but saidthe credential process required to get him onto the military base took too long for a non-US citizen. (Burton is British.)

“Robert [Mitchell] ended up acting as the eyes and ears for Tim as well, and the message that they now will be releasing in the coming days is quite positive for SSC, and myself," Shelby said, noting that the speeds recorded January 17 usedmultiple satellite tracking systemsfrom Racelogic, Life Racing, Garmin, and IMRA (International Mile Racing Association). A certification letter of time and speeds from Racelogic was included in his email;Jim Lau, the technical director of Racelogic for North America, was also there to verify and validate speeds.

So far it seems to check out, includingan independent verification commissioned by Motor Authority.

World-records are big business for companies like Bugatti, Koenigsegg, and Hennessey, attracting wealthy collectors obsessed with owning the car that holds the title. A car that loses the title, or worse, is discredited, instantly loses its allure. A spokesperson for SSC declined to say if the company had lost orders as a result of the conflict over the initial run in October, though in telephone interviews prior Shelby had said up to one third of SSC customers buy their car because it is the fastest in the world.