US supercar manufacturer, Shelby Supercars, has unveiled its new 1000kW Tuatara.
A US supercar manufacturer is aiming to reclaim the mantle of world's fastest car from the 430km/h-plus Bugatti Veyron Super Sport with a new 1000kW supercar.
Shelby Supercars has this week unveiled the Tuatara, its Kiwi-inspired replacement for its Ultimate Aero supercar that was formerly the fastest production car in the world.
The American supercar is said to be powered by a 7.0-litre V8 that's mounted behind the driver and capable of producing 1006kW with the aid of two turbochargers.
The company says the Tuatara will out-perform its 960kW predecessor that set a new production car speed record in 2007 with an average speed of 413.6km/h.
Carbonfibre is used extensively for the construction of the supercar's body - as well as the Australian-bred wheels, which were developed by two brothers from Victoria.
The carbon-fibre wheels were developed and fabricated in collaboration with Deakin University's research centre in Geelong and are claimed to be stronger and approximately half the weight of regular alloy-based wheels. The development also received almost $1.4 million of funding from the federal government's now-defunct Green Car Innovation Fund.
The Tuatara (pronounced twu-tar-ah) has another antipodean connection - it's named after a New Zealand lizard that comes from the Maori language meaning 'peaks on the back', which the company says reflects the car's uniquely styled rear wings.
Apparently the kiwi lizard also has the world's fastest-evolving DNA, which the Washington-based company likens itself to due to its ability of quick development times.
The Tuatara was designed by American supercar designer Jason Castriota, who penned the likes of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Maserati GranTurismo, and more recently, the Saab PhoeniX concept, to name a few. As such, the latest model eschews its predecessor's kit-car look with a sleek, cohesive and distinctly European form.
'The design specifications for the next-generation SSC were so extreme; we knew early on that a proper name would be a key piece of the puzzle for this project," says Shelby.
Shelby Supercars was established in 1999 by automotive enthusiast Jerod Shelby - no relation to the famous Carol Shelby associated with go-fast Ford Mustangs and Cobras. SSC has yet to formally announce the Tuatara's sale date.
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