SSC Ultimate Aero: the grudge match

"It’s a lot of fun to use aerodynamics to create something new. If you want to make a splash you need something striking. And classically beautiful dash; the mid-engined proportions are supermodel proportions. The black teardrop canopy is suspended above this long main volume. And the strong volume of the air intake sits on top of the rear wheel like a cannon. Then you flip it with the negative space in the lower body side, air exiting from the front wheels and air feeding into the rear radiators. Real function, like the dihedral rear stabilisers. That all creates dynamic tension, layers of volume and detail."

Shelby has performed astounding feats to engineer the current car. "At the start I figured that in three years and $4m I could get SSC on the map," he grins, "But I was exponentially off the map. Initially the McLaren record was 240mph and I thought I'd need about 900bhp. In the meantime the Veyron took the record up to 253 and I got rather concerned."