Built to be the fastest production car in the world, the
SSC Ultimate Aero TT is the most powerful production car - and it is now
the fastest production car in the world at 255 mph. A little while after the Bugatti Veyron went into production, I observed that many specialists would try to beat it stop speed of 248 mph, and were busy turbocharging big engines to make it happen.
First attempts by the SSC Ultimate Aero TT at the record were called off owing to snow on part of the road being used for the record attempt - this was a section of raod closed to the public for the record attempt.
The second attempt got up to 244 mph, and then a few months later, the car did a two-way run averaging 255 mph. Wow!
The SSC Aero TT has been around for a few years, but the SSC Ultimate Aero TT is intended to set records in acceleration, top speed and acceleration/deceleration. The early models were powered by a naturally aspirated 6.3 liter V-8, but for the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, a twin-turbo engine is used. These days it is not so difficult to get over 750 bhp from a big GM or Ford V-8, but pushing it up to 1,000 bhp requires high boost, and of course the higher you go, the less reliable the engine is likely to become.
It can be done, though, and several specialists can produce very powerful engines. To get over 1,000 bhp, SSC uses high boost pressures and massive intercoolers. Now, the power output has been pushed up beyond 1,100 bhp.
The fastest, and among the quickest for acceleration
Top speed? Well, SSC reckons that the Ultimate Aero TT is capable of 270 mph, a similar speed quoted by Bristol for the Fighter T. Acceleration is phenomenal, with a 0-60 mph time of 2.78 seconds, and the quarter mile dash in 9.9 seconds with a terminal speed of 144 mph. How do these figures compare? Well, the fastest 0-60 figure we know of is 2.6 seconds by the Ultima GTR, which matches the quarter mile of the Ultimate Aero TT, while the Bugatti Veyron is around 2.8 seconds. So, this is one of the fastest three cars in the world in acceleration and top speed.
So the heart of the SSC Ultimate Aero TT is a highly turbocharged V-8 engine, with aluminum bolckk and heads, installed in a conventional-looking mid-engined exotic car designed for good track performance. SSC quotes a power output of 1,183 bhp at 6,950 rpm, with maximum torque of 1,094 lb ft.(1,480 Nm) @ 6,150 rpm. This is the most powerful car engine we know, with a massive amount of torque, albeit at a high speed, but even at 3,000 rpm this engine will produce more torque than many a high-performance engine produces at any speed! Engine speed is limited to 7,200 rpm.
In fact, this car is so powerful, and no doubt has quite a turbo kick when the power comes on that it will be nearly undriveable in the wet, like some other ultra-powerful cars. That is likely to be the price of so much power.
This power output exceeds that of the Bugatti Veyron, Bristol Fighter T and Koenigsegg CCXR which develops 1,018 bhp on ethanol. On ethanol, the SSC V-8 would develop over 1,300 bhp!
Short, Lamborghini-like nose
With a very short nose, contoured front fenders, and a wedge line, the car is reminiscent in outline of the Lamborghini Diablo. The SSC Ultimate Aero TT also has upwardly hinging doors. However, these swing outwards slightly, so access is better than on the Lamborhgini Murcielago or Diablo.
And heavy long tail
The nose is unusual in that there is no main air intake, just a pair of small side air intakes for the brakes. The main air intakes are at the sides, just forward of the rear wheels, and two smaller air intakes higher up give the intake system some cool air. There is a simple cut-off tail, without a spoiler or wing.
Although the front end is pleasing enough, the coachroof and rear end are too heavy to make the SSC Ultimate Aero TT a sensational looking car. The drag coefficient is average at 0.357, whereas the best are near 0.30. Still, with 1,100 bhp on tap, that should not be a problem.
Weight distribution is 42 per cent front, and 58 per cent rear, which is pretty well what you get with this layout – and that is good for traction and handling.
Steel frame with carbon fiber hull
SSC uses a combination of steel space frame and carbon fiber moldings to provide a stiff and strong body structure which is light in weight. It carries conventional double wishbone suspension front and rear, those at the rear acting through levers to inboard coil/spring dampers. Penske adjustable dampers, with separate reservoirs are used front and rear, as are anti-roll bars. Steering is power-assisted rack-and-pinion, of course.
To stop the SSC Ultimate Aero TT are 14 -inch (355 mm) diameter ventilated and slotted discs with 8-piston calipers front and rear. Owing to the high loads involved in accelerating and braking with all this power, SSC uses forged aluminum three-piece wheels, which are stronger than cast ones – 19 inch at the front and 20 inch at the rear. The front wheels are 9.5 inches wide which is pretty normal, and they carry 235/35YR19 tires, and the massive 13 inch rear wheels carry 335/30YR20 tires – these are Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, which are normally guaranteed to about 250 mph. No doubt these are specially selected.
The specification is more like a racer except for the plush cockpit, which is neatly trimmed, has a small instrument binnacle in front of the driver, a center console and seats that look right for the job.
Very light for the power
As a result of the weight reduction, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT weighs just 2,750 lb (1,250 kg), which is very light indeed -about 35 per cent less than the overweight Bugatti Veyron. As the car also has a huge amount of power, the result is the sort of power-to-weight ratio that seemed impossible ten years ago: 946 bhp per tonne.
Is 946 bhp per tonne a record? Well, not really as the Caparo T1 is claimed to have a power-to-weight ratio of 1,021 bhp per tonne, but the figures refer to a prototype, and might be more like 990-1,000 bhp per tonne in production.
Records apart, the SCC Ultimate Aero TT is undoubtedly a stunning performer, up there in the top echelon with the Bugatti Veyron, Koenigsegg CCX and Ultima GTR.
