SSC Ultimate Aero II: More stuff

SSC Ultimate Aero II

The SSC Ultimate Aero II will have a power to weight ratio twice as good as the Veyron SuperSport and cost half as much when it arrives in 2011.

It’s a completely different ethos to the Bugatti Veyron, but the Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero has been a thorn in the side of Volkswagen’s ultimate statement almost from the beginning. Not a technical tour de force in the way the Veyron is, the SSC is, nevertheless, an astonishing car. And it’s about to get more astonishing as the SSC Ultimate Aero II draws closer.

SSC took Bugatti’s crown as makers of the world’s fastest production car, but Bugatti has now reclaimed that with the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Now it’s time for SSC’s riposte in the form of the Ultimate Aero 2, which is a third lighter than the Veyron and develops 1,350 horses from its 6.8 litre twin-turbo.

You don’t need a double first in Pure & Applied to see straight away that the Ultimate Aero II has a power to weight ratio advantage that’s on the large side of large. In fact, it’s power to weight ratio is almost twice as good as the Veyron’s, much of which – apart from the power bump – is down to old-fashioned weight saving.

Liberal use of carbon fibre (with a bit of aluminium bracing for extra strength) including the world’s first one-piece carbon fibre wheels which weigh in at just 13lbs a corner. All that makes the SSC Ultimate Aero II something of a lightweight at just 2,600lbs. And almost a bargain at just £625,000 (+vat).

Astonishing what you can build in your back garden.