Jerod Shelby likes to build fast cars. In 1999, he founded Shelby Supercars and set out to produce the fastest production car in the world. On September 13th, 2007, Shelby did just that when his Ultimate Aero ran down the road at 257 miles per hour. Bugatti has since produced its Veyron Super Sport, which reclaimed the speed crown. Now, Jerod is ready with another car, which we’ve been hearing tidbits about for nearly a year. The new car, which was penned by Jason Castriota, has been shown off to a select few, yet no one knows just what to call the newest horse in the SSC stable.
Until now…
Say hello to the Tuatara.
It’s pronounced Twu-tar-ah, and the word comes from a lizard that lives down in New Zealand. Tuatara comes from the Maori language, and means “peaks on the back.” Seems like an odd choice at first, but further digging into the name reveals a bit more reasoning behind the decision. It seems the tuatara lizard is a rather unique creature, and the reptile possesses the fastest evolving DNA on the planet. Also, the Tuatara supercar features a set of rear peaks of its own, courtesy of the uniquely styled rear wings.
It took Jerod Shelby and his crew a short time to achieve what others worked did in far longer spans. Now, the SSC Tuatara is ready to push even further into the void.
SSC Tuatara from eGarage on Vimeo.
