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SSC North America

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SSC North America
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1999 (1999)
FounderJerod Shelby
Headquarters
West Richland, Washington
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsSports cars
OwnerJerod Shelby
Websitesscnorthamerica.com

SSC North America (formerly Shelby SuperCars Inc.) is an American automobile manufacturer founded in 1998[1] by owner Jerod Shelby (no relation to car designer Carroll Shelby). The company is based in West Richland, in the Tri-Cities, Washington and specializes in the production of supercars.

Company

SSC is currently the only supercar manufacturer based in the United States. In 2015, SSC completed production of their first model the SSC Ultimate Aero. They are currently in the preliminary design phase of their next generation vehicle the SSC Tuatara which will feature a custom-built twin-turbo V8 engine capable of producing 1,350 horsepower.

The SSC Ultimate Aero was equipped with a twin turbocharged pushrod engined V8. Its turbocharged 6.35 litres (388 cu in) V8 produces 1,287 bhp (960 kW; 1,305 PS), which made it the most powerful production car in the world until the arrival of Koenigsegg One:1 (1,341 bhp (1,000 kW; 1,360 PS)) in 2014.

On September 13, 2007, the "Ultimate Aero" gained the official Guinness World Record for fastest production car. The Ultimate Aero has a top speed of 412 km/h (256 mph).[2] On June 26, 2010 the title was again lost to the upgraded Bugatti Veyron Super Sport that now holds the world speed record for production cars with a top speed of 267.856 miles per hour (431.072 km/h).

History

1998 - Company founded by current CEO Jerod Shelby

2004 - First Ultimate Aero prototype completed in at company headquarters in West Richland, WA

2006 - Ultimate Aero sets record on Road & Track magazine's slalom course, breaking previous record held by the Enzo Ferrari

September 13, 2007 - SSC Ultimate Aero sets record for fastest production vehicle as verfied by Guinness World Records, reaching a top speed 256.18 MPH averaged over two runs in opposite directions.

July 10, 2008 - SSC announced it would open its Dubai showroom in February 2009.[3]

2008 - SSC announced plans to unveil the Ultimate Aero EV (Electric Vehicle). SSC expects to roll out its first prototype in February 2009.[4] The car was advertised in the original press release as rechargeable in 10 minutes from a 240 V outlet, which has been criticized as impossible in some articles. The press release has since changed.[5]

August 23, 2010 - A USA Today article details the rivalry between Shelby and Bugatti for the title of World's fastest Car and CEO Jerod Shelby announces a next generation version of the SSC Ultimate Aero is in the works[6]

July 17, 2011 - SSC announces their next generation sports car has been named Tuatara (pronounced twa-tar‐ah). It uses a proprietary 6.9 liter V8 engine and is said to produce a rated output of 1350 hp and a maximum output of 1700 hp.[7][8]

2012 - Shelby SuperCars changes their name to SSC North America as a result of a settlement with Carroll Shelby Licensing and Carroll Shelby International.[9]

August 2012 - SSC announces a special edition of the SSC Ultimate Aero called XT. With the new SSC Tuatara on its way, SSC is retiring the SSC Ultimate Aero ending its production with a limited special edition. To celebrate its run SSC is launching the final special edition named SSC Ultimate Aero XT. The car will be built in a limited run of just five examples and will utilize some key assemblies that will feature in the SSC Tuatara, for instance, SSC's proprietary developed 6.9 liter all-aluminum twin-turbo V8 engine unit and several other features to go along with the new engine unit such as enhanced cooling, transmission upgrades as well as a seven-speed paddle-shifted gearbox. The engine is officially rated at 1,300 horsepower and 1,004 pound-feet of torque.[10][11]

2013 - A Prototype SSC Tuatara is unveiled at the Dubai International Motor Show and titled the "Crown Jewel" of the event

2015 - Last Ultimate Aero XT is delivered and production of the model is complete

Models

SSC Ultimate Aero

The first prototype SSC Ultimate Aero was completed in 2004. The two original prototypes were equipped with a supercharged 377.6 cu in (6,188 cc) Chevrolet Corvette C5R V8 engine. The supercharged engines originally produced 782 horsepower but were eventually modified to produce up to 908 horsepower with theoretical top speeds of up to 242 mph (390 kph).

Following the original two prototypes, SSC replaced the supercharged engine with a new twin-turbo V8 that eventually produced 1,287 horsepower. The twin-turbo setup can be found in the majority of the SSC Ultimate Aero's produced. On September 13, 2007 the Ultimate Aero became the world's fastest production car as certified by Guinness World Records with a top speed of 256.18 mph averaged over two runs in opposite directions.

SSC Ultimate Aero XT

In 2013, SSC North America announced they were going to produce a limited number of SSC Ultimate Aero XT's. This vehicle was an upgraded Ultimate Aero and included many features from the Tuatara. These features include a 1,300 horsepower version of the Tuatara twin-turbo charged V8, a 7-speed Tuatara paddle shifter transmission, and upgrade cooling, fuel, and braking systems.

SSC Tuatara

The SSC Tuatara is currently under development by SSC North America. The vehicle is the result of a design collaboration between Jason Castriota and SSC North America and was titled the "Crown Jewel" of the 2013 Dubai International Motor Show. The Tuatara will be produced at the company's new World Headquarters which is currently under construction in West Richland, WA.

Building Progress

The construction of the company's world headquarters in West Richland, Washington[12] was put on hold after the foundation was completed due to a delay in receiving project funds. Construction is currently scheduled for 2017.

References

  1. ^ "About SSC".
  2. ^ "Shelby Supercars' press release".
  3. ^ "SSC Middle East Exclusive Showroom to Open In February 27th 2009". SSC North America. July 10, 2008.
  4. ^ "SSC 'Going Green' In New SuperCar Development". SSC North America. July 12, 2008. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ Yoney, Domenick (February 1, 2009). "Shelby Super Cars revises incredible claims (again!), now almost credible". Autobloggreen.com. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  6. ^ "Bugatti, Shelby compete to be speed kings of the road - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  7. ^ "SSC Tuatara". SSC North America. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  8. ^ Weiss, C.C. (April 29, 2013). "SSC completes engine testing on Tuatara supercar, teases 1,700 hp". Gizmag. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  9. ^ Neff, John (June 29, 2012). "Shelby SuperCars gets a new name". autoblog.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  10. ^ Vijayenthiran, Viknesh (August 3, 2012). "SSC Sending Out Ultimate Aero With Tuatara-Powered XT". motorauthority.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  11. ^ "SSC Announces Limited Production of Five Ultimate Aero XT's". SSC North America. August 2, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  12. ^ Folsom, Geoff (November 21, 2015). "West Richland car plant ready to get rolling". Tri-City Herald. Kennewick, WA. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
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