New car news

17 December 2008 - 11:00

435km/h? Yes please

Usually when a small-scale manufacturer shows off a new car promising a top speed of, say, 435km/h and a power output of, say, 959kW, our reaction tends to go something like, “Lovely. Of course it will. Here, have a nice steaming cup of reality…”

But, in the case of SSC and its new Ultimate Aero, we might withhold that scepticism just a touch.

That’s because the current SSC Ultimate Aero is the holder of the ‘World’s Fastest Production Car’ title – a massive 410km/h in a Guinness-verified run last year in Washington.

And the new one is set to be even faster. It’s 15 per cent more powerful, thanks to a new one-piece aluminium engine block, and has a whole bunch of new aero trickery, including a completely redesigned nose and new carbon fibre louvres to redirect air to the (presumably massive) radiators.

There’s also a rear air brake/spoiler affair – similar to the one on the Veyron – which raises under heavy braking or at high speeds to provide extra downforce.

SSC tells us that it has also completely redesigned the interior, but we don’t think that makes the Ultimate Aero go any faster.

Still, the American team reckons the car will now reach a simply frightening 435km/h, which would make it the world’s fastest production car by an absolute mile.

Ambitious hyperbole or realistic target? We’ll find out in the new year…