SSC Officially Certifies Power of Tuatara's 6.9 Twin-Turbo V8

Shelby SuperCarsShelby SuperCarsUnited States of America, 1999 > present2 models
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says that it is in the final stages of fine-tuning its new super car - the TuataraShelby SuperCars TuataraUnited States of America, 2011 > present5 photos
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. It has just certified the car's 6.9-liter twin-turbo V8 as having 1,350hp and 1,280lb-ft of torque at 9,200rpm when running on 91-octane gas. SSC is hinting that it will offer a 1,700hp tune of the engine for buyers who are willing to run higher octane racing gas in the car.

SSC also put the engine under a load test where it set the engine at 5,500rpm for five minutes and applied a load to it. Then it was allowed to idle for 30 seconds and had to undergo the same test again. Afterward, the engine was torn down and inspected. The test simulates the car racing up a steep hill at the equivalent of about 275mph (443km/h).

“This is a proud moment for all that were part of the engineering team on this project. This amazingly versatile package has already shown that it can easily be driven on a daily basis in any climate or environment in the world and at the same time can roll out of the pit area onto a track like Nürburgring and easily handle any rigors that record will require," said founder Jerod Shelby. 

The Tuatara is SSC's follow up to the Ultimate AeroShelby SuperCars Ultimate...United States of America, 2005 > present1 photo
. SSC is estimating that it will accelerate to 60mph in 2.5 seconds and has a projected top speed of 276mph. It will be available with either a seven-speed manual or seven-speed sequential manual gearbox. It has a projected weight of 2,750lb (1,247kg).

It makes extensive use of carbon fiber with a carbon fiber body and carbon fiber monocoque with aluminum crash structures. Even the wheels are made from carbon fiber. 

SSC has not announced precisely when the Tuatara will be on sale.