Shelby SuperCar SSC Tuatara 2012

Shelby Supercars hasn't had any trouble finding buyers for the company's Tuatara. According to Gulf News, the exotic drew a whopping 10 buyers at the Dubai International Motor Show. Global recession? What global recession? Each Tuatara comes with a sticker price of $1.3 million, and even Shelby Supercars didn't expect to find the sort of following that it did at the show. The brand largely decided to attend the event to raise awareness about its efforts in high-performance engineering, with founder Jerod Shelby saying his goal was merely to find a distributor for the region.

The Tautara wasn't the only hit at the Dubai International Motor Show, however. The Lamborghini Aventador drew in 14 new buyers, and Canada's De Macros GT1 enjoyed a fair bit of attention as well.

We can hardly blame Tuatara buyers for their enthusiasm. The coupe looks brilliant, and SSC promises the car will deliver 1,350 horsepower from its 6.6-liter V8. That much power should enable the Jason Castriota design to reach 200 mph in just 16 seconds and power on to a top speed of 275 mph. 

 Exterior

The body design of the Tuatara was rendered by Jason Castriota, an Italian-American designer who has been instrumental in creating some of the best looking cars in the world. Among his creations include the best in the industry, Bertone, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, and Pininfarina. Castriota was unsure whether he wanted to take on the challenge presented to him by Jerod Shelby in designing this latest from SSC.

When he did take up the challenge, the result has become the ideal in combining form and function. The black teardrop shaped canopy splashed amid the white body provides a contrast in style and power. The classic shape allows it for a minimum of drag. Dihedral stabilizers (wings) add to the Tuatara’s performance and look. The winglets located in the rear not only improve aerodynamics, but also keeps the car together as it speeds up to 200 miles per hour.

Body and chassis are made of carbon fiber, except for those impact areas in the front and rear of the Tuatara. It also has oval cut outs in varying sizes that help release heat produced by the engine through the body. The Tuatara features an F-1 looking exhaust that functions as a diffuser in the rear. When looking down at this low slung supercar, the Tuatara can seem intimidating.

Interior
No one really knows what to expect what the interior of the Tuatara will look like. The total interior design has not been completed. It will have the necessary features in driving a two seater, such as the seatbelts and auto air-conditioner.
Speculation has it that the inside of the Tuatara will live up to its reputation in addition to providing easy viewing and access LCD central displays.

The Competition

There is little competition in this area of supercars. The SSC Tuatara is expected to be priced at $970,000, while the Bugatti Veyron SS rings the bell at $2.4 million. If you have extra to spend, the other potential alternative is the Koenigsegg Agera, $1.5 million.

Whichever way you go, you have an international choice at your disposal; the SSC Tuatara from the USA, Bugatti Veyron SS from Germany, and the Swedish Koenigsegg Agera. Whether you’re looking for a showroom vehicle or one for the racetrack, chances are the Tuatara will push its competitors once again to the limits, watch for this fastest evolving DNA creation from SSC.

Performance

As for the engine, Jerod Shelby’s team of engineers has come up with a rear wheel drive, quad cam (four valves per cylinder OHC), twin turbo V8 engine. This 7 Liter engine produces 1350 HP and revs up to 9000 rpm.

Braking is aided by traction control, ABS with servo assistance, and the use of carbon ceramic brakes by Brembo. It comes in at 2646 lbs (1200 kgs) curb weight, which puts it at 1407 lbs(638 kgs) lighter than the Veyron. Little, if any, change has been done on the suspension in which SSC keeps the coil over setup intact along with the triple plate carbon clutch mechanism.

Expectations are high on this new SSC Tuatara, with all those horses; zero to sixty mph should come in under 2.8 seconds. It has been claimed that its top speed will be at 275 mph, hang on to your seats for the final results.

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. Thanks to our friends at eGarage, we have exclusive video of Jerod Shelby revealing the new car's name and the meaning behind it, which you can view after the jump.