By Dan Neil Bugatti has put an end to the brief, corrupt reign of Shelby SuperCars’ Aero SSC TT as the fastest production car in the world. On June 26, Bugatti test driver Pierre Henri Raphanel drove an orange-and-black Veyron 16.4 Super Sport to an average top speed of 268 mph (431 kph) at VW Group’s test facility at Ehra-Leissien. Representatives of Guinness World Records and the German Technical Inspection Agency – the keeper of such things in Deutschland – were on hand to verify the result. The title of world’s fastest production car has been in dispute, if not disgrace, the past couple of years, after the American company (no relation to car designer and racer Carroll Shelby, oddly) made a claim on the record in fall of 2008. On September 13, 2008, a rudely built, twin-turbo V8-powered SSC Ultimate Aero TT averaged 256 mph along a stretch of farm road and – having convinced the people of Guinness that the car was, in fact, a series production automobile – Guinness declared that the SSC car was the new fastest production car in the world, overtaking the 1,000-hp, $1.3-million Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which held the record at 253 mph since 2005. Needless to say, having his company’s half-billion-Euro effort eclipsed by a bunch of supercar wildcatters working out of somebody’s garage in the U.S. did not go down well with Franz-Josef Paefgen, the president of Bugatti and a board member with parent company VW Group. “This is not a real car, is it?” said Dr. Paefgen when I asked him about the SSC in 2009. (Answer: not really). “But don’t worry, we have much more capability in the Veyron. You’ll see.” And so we have. The Veyron Super Sport is indeed a big step up from your run-of-the-mill, drive-off-the-lot Veyron. Output is increased to 1,200 hp and torque is up to a mind-bending 1,106 pound-feet out of the monster quad-turbo W16 engine, thanks to enlarged turbochargers and intercoolers. The Super Sport also features revised suspension to manage the enormous aero downforce at speeds about 260 mph. As for Shelby SuperCars, it seems to have sunk beneath the waves. The press materials have not been updated on the company’s website since last summer. I have made repeated attempts to reach the company in the past two years, with no success.
I remember when the Stig drove the earlier Veyron around the TG test track. Kind of reminded me of an orca in an aquarium tank -- no opportunity to really show off its mettle. I can hardly imagine how frightening 268 mph on four wheels would be...
Wow, Dan Neil really seems to hate the Shelby SuperCars’ Aero SSC TT. All I know about it is the video Jay Leno did on it. He seemed to like it. Shelby SuperCars - SSC - Exotic Luxury SuperCars
That would be perfect. Maybe some ground affects too with some hydraulic shock absorbers to bounce the car up and down when cruising the streets real slow.
Not to forget the fake testicles flapping in the wind from beneath the rear bumper..... Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
hate Ford if you want... but they have been making some pretty darn good cars lately. A buddy of mine has the Fusion sport... that's a nice ride and price is not outrageous. under $30k and it's loaded.
Take a close look at the rear wing. It almost looks like the trunk lid has popped up. Maybe Joel should look into a deployable wing that could be retracted when not needed. :lol: Jim