zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
SSC Tuatara Will Re-Run Top Speed Attempt To Prove The Doubters Wrong
SSC Tuatara Will Re-Run Top Speed Attempt To Prove The Doubters Wrong-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:02

Image for article titled SSC Tuatara Will Re-Run Top Speed Attempt To Prove The Doubters Wrong

If you haven’t been following the SSC Tuatara record controversy, you’ve been missing out. In a nutshell: the SSC Tuatara team claimed its car set a speed record for a production car on a public Nevada road. Folks on the internet claimed that there was no way the car actually went 331 mph. The driver of the car what’s going on. Now, the founder of SSC North America (formerly Shelby Super Cars), Jerod Shelby, has decided that the only thing to do is just go out and try to set the record again.

“No matter what we do in the coming days to salvage this particular record, it’s always going to have a stain on it,” Shelby said in a video he released on YouTube. He came to one conclusion:

“We have to re-run the record. We have to do this again and do it in a way that is undeniable and irrefutable.”

You can check out the full video below:

Shelby explains that he and the SSC team did not actually have possession of the raw video footage that showed the run. They hadn’t seen it. And once they started watching, “We were seeing different speeds for the very same run. The more we looked and the more we tried to analyze, we were concerned there were doubts in the relationship between the video and the GPS.”

He agrees that he dropped the ball. But damn, if that isn’t a big ball to drop.

It’s a little mind-blowing that a car maker would attempt to set a legitimate speed record without ticking every single box multiple times, but that’s pretty much what happened here. There was one in-car GPS and some video footage that SSC didn’t even have access to. And yet it went ahead and claimed it set record speeds before ensuring it had covered all its bases.

I have to admit that Shelby is pretty open about the fact that there were some screw-ups along the way and that he’s already looking for ways to better set the record—next time, for example, by having multiple GPS units from different companies in the car as well as personnel from those companies on-site to double check everything.

Shelby also extended an invitation to the YouTubers who initially questioned the record as a way to further hold himself and his team accountable.

That is, basically, all SSC can do at the moment. Just run the record again, this time with extra assurance that it’s done it right, and hope for the best.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Double Amputee Racing Badass Alex Zanardi Will Do The 2019 24 Hours Of Daytona
Double Amputee Racing Badass Alex Zanardi Will Do The 2019 24 Hours Of Daytona
Two-time CART champion, ex-Formula 1 driver, and winner of paralympic gold medals Alex Zanardi will be driving a BMW M8 GTEs at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2019, BMW this weekend. Zanardi lost both legs after a CART crash in 2001, so the new BMW will be modified to...
Sep 8, 2026
Two Drivers Disqualified After 500-mile Karting Race Turns Into A Bar Brawl
Two Drivers Disqualified After 500-mile Karting Race Turns Into A Bar Brawl
Last night in Brazil’s premier “500 Milhas de Kart” event, two drivers were disqualified for engaging in fisticuffs after the pair had contact on track that ended with both of them stuck in the barrier with just 18 laps remaining in the race. Rodrigo Dantas, driving for the same team...
Sep 8, 2026
Of Course Women Are Strong Enough To Race Against Men
Of Course Women Are Strong Enough To Race Against Men
A few months ago, a race promoter with an aggressive marketing platform, a GT spec program, and a promise that all expenses would be paid. The catch? The series was for women only, and I wouldn’t be allowed to continue to compete in IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge or any...
Sep 8, 2026
Not Even This Insane Truck Cartwheel Can Stop A Stadium Super Truck
Not Even This Insane Truck Cartwheel Can Stop A Stadium Super Truck
If there’s one clip that shows why Stadium Super Trucks are the greatest, please consider this epic roll from Lake Elsinore this weekend. Or, you know, how the truck just lands on its wheels and keeps going. (Skip to about 10:40.) Stadium Super Trucks went Lake Elsinore this weekend to...
Sep 8, 2026
News: Racing Driver Needs To Be Mildly Aroused Before Driving A Race Car
News: Racing Driver Needs To Be Mildly Aroused Before Driving A Race Car
Jalopnik must apologize for our grave error , in asserting grid girls are not necessary—and even, possibly, harmful!—to racing. We were so very wrong because, as we recently learned from , male drivers need to see beautiful women in order to operate a car. We argued last Thursday that F1...
Sep 8, 2026
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Dec. 16th-17th, 2017
Weekend Motorsports Roundup, Dec. 16th-17th, 2017
Welcome to the Jalopnik Weekend Motorsports Roundup, where we let you know what’s going on in the world of racing, where you can see it, and where you can talk about it all in one convenient place. Where else would you want to spend your weekend? Racing is sparse this...
Sep 8, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved