SSC Tuatara Aggressor Unveiled With 2,200-HP

At the start of the year, SSC North America smashed the production car speed record with the Tuatara hypercar, achieving a two-way average speed of 282.9 mph at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was SSC's second attempt at breaking the 300-mph barrier after inconsistencies were found in last year's 331-mph speed record. SSC is still planning to attempt another 300+ mph speed record, but the Hennessey Venom F5 could beat SSC to it.

Before the next record attempt, SSC has unveiled two surprise new variants of the American hypercar: say hello to the track-focused SSC Tuatara Striker and Tuatara Aggressor.

"The Tuatara is designed and built to be a show of force wherever it goes. Whether it's a drive through town, a high-speed pass down a runway, or laps around a technical track, it excels at whatever the driver engages the car to do," says Founder and CEO Jerod Shelby.

For the Striker variant, SSC has added some aggressive aero components including a fixed wing, active rear wing, vertical stabilizer, and a rear diffuser. These enhancements increase the downforce to around 1,100 pounds at 160 mph. New side rockers, a prominent front splitter, and front dive planes balance the downforce, with 45.4 percent sent to the front axle and 54.6 percent to the rear axle, increasing the stability. Inside, the interior can be customized with an optional exposed carbon fiber dashboard and Alcantara trim.

Like the regular Tuatara, the Striker is powered by a 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 generating up to 1,750 horsepower on E85 fuel. All that power is sent to the rear wheels through a seven-speed manual transmission. If that's not enough power for you, the Aggressor variant increases the output to 2,200 horsepower while retaining the Striker's aero enhancements.