What is it like to drive the world's second fastest production car? Drive On got a taste of the fast life earlier this month outside Carmel, Calif.
We were behind the wheel of the last unsold Shelby SuperCars Ultimate Aero, the same car that set the world record of 256 miles per hour, which has since been eclipsed by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports' 268 mph. We write about the contest of the two cars in USA TODAY today.
Jerod Shelby is seen through the window of his SSC supercar.
By William M. Welch
It is a six-speed twin-turbo V-8 with 1,1183 horsepower and more than 1,094 foot-pounds of torque -- yet feels relatively tame on the streets for such a massively powerful car. Later versions added power-assisted steering and suspension refinements, but steering on this model wasn't too heavy as long as the car was moving. Shifting the six speed, with a stiff triple carbon clutch, took some getting used to.
Stomp on the throttle in a low gear and you feel your body pressed hard against the leather-covered Recaro racing-type seats as you struggle to maintain control and hope cold tires can maintain grip. The car has gull-type wings and a sharp wedge shape, somewhat recalling a Lamborghini.
Specs aren't released yet on the new model. But for the old one, the aluminum block V-8 displaces 387 cubic inches and sports a speedo that goes to 260 mph. These cars are Jerod Shelby's dream come true:
"My dream was to build my own super car,'' he says. "I decided to live my dream.'' He is playing in a tiny niche market with some U.S. sales but focused heavily on wealthy Middle Eastern, Russian and European buyers. Shelby's only dealer, Ultimate Motors, is in Dubai. Americans can buy direct from the factory in West Richland, Wash.
Bugatti's $1.2 million Veyron has a bigger presence in this rarified market, but Shelby managed to position his car as a competitor by seizing on something of a gimmick, setting that speed record.
He used that record, set on two opposing passes on a closed rural road, to sell most of his 15-car production run. In July, Bugatti wrestled the title back, he said, with a 268-plus mph achievement on its test track in France.
"It opened a lot of doors for us,'' Shelby says of setting the speed record. And he says he not only wasn't surprised Bugatti has won the title back, he's glad they did because it gives him the opportunity to try to set another record.
He hopes to do it in his next version of the Ultimate Aero. He kept it hidden from the press but showed a little ankle for Drive On, lifting the cover to reveal an angular front fender and deep carbon fiber-filled headlight well, and a new carbon fiber wheel -- 20 inches by 12 inches. The wheel is sourced from an Australian company, Carbon Revolution, which says it is the world's first one-piece fully carbon fiber auto wheel..
The car will carry the same name but amounts to a fully developed new model, he says, with a new engine.
Shelby calls the new design bold, futuristic and cutting edge, and says the previous 15 Shelby cars were all a prelude to this model. "It's a very exotic version of the current car,'' he says. Even though Shelby's car held the world speed record for three years, his company, which he calls SSC, has a low profile and is little known outside enthusiast circles. That is by design, he says, as he wanted to avoid a lot of attention while giving his company time to develop and refine the car.
He says interest has been intense overseas, particularly in the Middle East, but acknowledges finding skeptics in the U.S. market. "We've been farily well known over there,'' he says. "Here in the states, a lot of people try to shoot holes in it. They'd like to see us fail.'' Shelby says he is 100% owner of the privately held company and has deliberately avoided taking on partners or investors in order to keep decision-making clear and simple, avoiding compromises in design as much as possible.
He says the business can be profitable but like most startups, it has taken longer and more money than he planned for. He says he thought initially he could develop a supercar in three to four years with three to four million dollars.
While he doesn't reveal what he has tied up in the company, he says, "I was way off, exponentially off.''
--William M. Welch/Drive On
