the new worlds fastest car

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

and its a beast. 0-60 in 2.7 seconds... top speed of over 257... and its cheaper than you would expect...

On Sept. 13, 2007, the Shelby SuperCars' Ultimate Aero became the fastest production car in the world. The event took place on a temporarily closed, two-lane stretch of public highway in Washington State. In accordance with Guinness World Records' strict policies, the car had to drive down the highway, turn around, and make a second pass in the opposite direction within one hour.
The Ultimate Aero posted 257.41 mph on the first pass and 254.88 mph on the second for an average of 256.18 mph. Official data were collected via a GPS tracking system from Austrian data acquisition company Dewetron. Guinness World Records later verified data for an official top-speed announcement on Oct. 9, 2007. At that speed the Ultimate Aero broke the official record held by the Koenigsegg CCR (242 mph) and the unofficial record (253 mph) held by Volkswagen's $1.6 million Bugatti.

And the car could go even faster. NASA's wind tunnel testing facility in Langley, Va., found the Ultimate Aero to be aerodynamically stable at speeds up to 273 mph. It just ran out of road. "If there was additional straight pavement on which to accelerate, the top speed would have been considerably higher, so if anyone challenges our record there is tons left on the table," says Chuck Bigelow, the brave soul who piloted the Ultimate Aero on its record-breaking run.

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Achieving the record wasn't just a matter of bragging rights, though. For company founder Jerod Shelby it was a business decision. From early on Shelby, who started the West Richland, Wash. company in 2000, decided that he had to break the production car top-speed record in order to establish credibility for his infant company. "No one is going to buy a $600,000 car they never heard of," he says.

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As Junus Khan, his director of marketing, adds: "Being a brand-new player, it was important to do something extraordinary in order to gain credibility and to be taken seriously. Our main goal wasn't just to break the speed record, it was to become a well-known, respected manufacturer of world-class exotics."

Before he was able to realize his dream, Shelby, 39, a former go-kart champ and an engineer by trade, spent 13 years developing patents for medical-device company Advance Imaging Technology in nearby Richland, Wash. One of his patents is for a radiation-free medical device that uses sound waves to scan for breast cancer.

After more than a decade developing breakthrough medical technology, Shelby — who is no relation to legendary auto designer Carroll Shelby — realized that his financial success would afford him the opportunity to pursue his lifelong automotive ambitions. "I always thought it would be great if I could design my own car. So about nine years ago, while eating at an Italian restaurant, I did my first napkin drawing. Amazingly, the final product looks very similar to our early sketches."

Hot wheels

The final product stood waiting for me on a sunny afternoon in mid-December at a 13-mile loop in the Nevada desert. I had previously driven the Veyron, and SSC wanted to get my feedback on the Ultimate Aero. So I went out to Las Vegas to meet Shelby, Khan, and the stakeholders in SSC's first and, so far, only dealership. The guest of honor, a sultry red and black Ultimate Aero, is No. 7 of the 50 Shelby plans to build and is the only customer-ready example that currently exists in the U.S.

The Bugatti and Ultimate Aero are very similar when you look at some of the key performance and hardware statistics. They both contained expensive, lightweight materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber; a mid-mounted engine aided by the use of turbochargers (two for SSC and four for Bugatti); 1000-plus horsepower; 0 to 60 mph times under three seconds; and a top speed above 250 mph. This is where the similarities end and differing characteristics start to become more apparent.

First off, the Veyron sends power to all four wheels while the Ultimate Aero utilizes a rear-drive setup with no traction control. Yes, you read that correctly — no traction control. In the engine department, Bugatti favored the use of 16 cylinders while SSC made do with eight. The Ultimate Aero's weight, thanks in part to the smaller engine and lack of all-wheel-drive system, comes in at a much lower curb weight than the Bugatti. Most shocking, the $1.6 million Veyron costs more than 2.5 times as much as the SSC.

Bugatti pitches the Veyron as being the best of both worlds — luxurious and civil when you want it to be, and shockingly fast when you feel the urge for speeding tickets. "It's this unique combination between very docile, everyday handling and top speed. So you can drive this car normally like a Golf or Passat, and at the same time, you can overtake [Formula 1 champion Michael] Schumacher with your tie on," says Bugatti communications chief George Keller.

full story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22826327/?GT1=10755

Click to read more...

 

[terra 5,000+ posts]

looks pretty sweet too...and its obviously **** fast.

reminds me of the diablo from the side

 

[Anniku989 10+ year member]

Yup, this was a few months ago...

 

[munchies 10+ year member]

Looks pretty **** sexy

 

[Parker G 10+ year member]

I'd still rather have the Venom 1000 SRT but that looks tight too.

 

[jdc753 10+ year member]

looks pretty sweet too...and its obviously **** fast.reminds me of the diablo from the side

It does look very similar to a diablo.

After reading the article I love how they mention numerous times as if its a shock that the car has no traction control. Oh Noes it shall crash and burn without some computer assisted controlling device. Also I was really wondering why on earth Carrol Shelby would build such a car and then read that the guy who started the company had no relations. Wonder when they will break 300 in a production car...

Also does anyone know what motor this is based off of, I see they say twin turbo V-8 but don't say where the block is sourced from or anything. I can't really see them actually engineering and building an entire engine from scratch for this car.

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

i find it pretty amazing that they got a RWD car with 1300 Hp to go 0-60 in 2.7 seconds...

i didnt find them going over that fact repeatedly suprising at all. im still baffled to know how they got that fast of a launch out of that thing.

 

[Nukedsodapop 5,000+ posts]

i find it pretty amazing that they got a RWD car with 1300 Hp to go 0-60 in 2.7 seconds...
i didnt find them going over that fact repeatedly suprising at all. im still baffled to know how they got that fast of a launch out of that thing.

x2 I was thinking that too

 

[FineLinePimpin 10+ year member]

its based off a SBC..LS"X" design....but nothing close to stock of course. The 0-60 and 1/4 mile time come from a very active and very good working suspension. Same way F1 cars can go to 0-60 in under 2secs in some cases. Yes its not set-up for drag racing but the way the suspension is designed it still pulls even when spinning....to a certain point

 

[hoss 5,000+ posts]

also if you read the article, it holds the record for speed through the slalom //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[FineLinePimpin 10+ year member]

Yes it does....thats what happens when you the suspension designed for a REAL race car on a street car.

 

[One Bad MOFO 10+ year member]

and iirc it has a dd stereo as an option

 

[burro breath 10+ year member]

i think this is better, cheaper on gas (it dosent use gas), and cheaper to purchase.

0-60 in under 4 seconds is pretty good.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/FREE/398811820

 

[Kelly Kapowski]

i think this is better, cheaper on gas (it dosent use gas), and cheaper to purchase.0-60 in under 4 seconds is pretty good.

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/FREE/398811820

you just failed miserably...

look at how fast the other car goes 0-60 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Kelly Kapowski]

why is hoss's little man green if he is banned? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/confused.gif.e820e0216602db4765798ac39d28caa9.gif