The makers of the controversial SSC Ultimate Aero have released information on a series of major tweaks to the 2009 model year car. Chief of which is the news that the power figures are to take a hike from 1,062bhp (or 1,046bhp or 1,183bhp depending on which source you read, the later figure being the one which famously broke the production car speed record) to a staggering 1,287bhp! If we take the figure of the car which broke the record we get roughly a 10% increase in power.
Other differences in the car include a re-vamped front facia design and a few interior upgrades. The front facia allows the car to penetrate the air more effectively, allowing the car to achieve a relatively safe 270mph top speed. To slow the car down more effectively SSC has incorporated it�s own style of air brake (like that seen on the Bugatti Veyron), it raises by as much as 8 inches depending on the severity of the braking conditions and is made of light weight carbon fibre. Not only this but it can be disabled when it�s not needed at the touch of a button.
To achieve the new power figures the SSC incorporates a new one-piece billet aluminium engine block. This means that the basis for the engine components is one piece of metal, making it more stable and giving it the ability to be able to handle the insane levels of power. The side intakes on the car allow the radiators 20% extra air for cooling the engine.
One of the most notable modifications to the SSC�s interior is the incorporation of an Azentek unit offering all the capabilities of a PC to process the SSC’s onboard diagnostic software. To complement this the interior has been given a full workout including new door sills, guage clusters, steering column with new dials and a new centre console.
SSC hopes that this series of upgrades will take the car further away in terms of technological advancements and ultimate power from it�s competitors. We suspect this will be achieved with this car, afterall we don�t hear of any other companies offering 1,287bhp in a road legal production car. Is there a good reason for this? Most probably but we won�t find out until someone actually drives this beast…
[Via Shelby SuperCars Via AutoBlog]
No, thanks. I prefer the Bugatti :P