RE: SSC Set To Smash Veyron's Top Speed
Friday 3rd August 2007
The SSC Ultimate Aero TT. Don't fancy yours much...Another day, another attempt to beat the Bugatti Veyron’s superlative performance figures. Or so it seems. Today brings another American car company into the fray: The 1183bhp SSC Ultimate Aero TT – with 1183bhp and 1094lb ft on tap.
SSC Set To Smash Veyron's Top Speed
SSC supercar set to take 'World's Fastest Production Car' title
The SSC Ultimate Aero TT. Don't fancy yours much...
SSC very nearly claimed the 'World's fastest Production Car' title in March, reaching 241.4mph - but that was in bad weather and according to the driver, only using ‘71% of the throttle’.
In theory, the SSC is capable of 273mph. The next speed run is set to take place this month on a 12 mile section of closed freeway in Washington State. It will be overseen by Guinness World Records.
The current speed record holder is a Koenigsegg, which hit 242mph – the Bugatti Veyron has yet to be officially tested by Guiness World Records. Perhaps this will inspire them to pull their finger out and let someone do some proper tests.
Discussion
[generic petrolhead statement]The beauty of the Veyron is the fact is gets to 200mph+ so gracefully and will do it time and time again, in one video the driver even takes his hands off the wheel at 200mph and claims it's just so normal. There are MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY cars that can beat the Veyrons top speed, but 99.9% of them will try their damned hardest to kill you in the process and need a full engine rebuild after a few attempts.[/generic petrolhead statement]
Am I the only one thoroughly sick of "xxxxx to beat Veyron" news all over the interweb?
Am I the only one thoroughly sick of "xxxxx to beat Veyron" news all over the interweb?
Nope, I agree with you. In a similar vein to the way the McLaren F1's top speed was always used as the yard stick for EVERYONE to want to go and beat which missed the whole ethos of the car, I believe that (as opposed as the F1 and Veyron are) they are victims of the same problem.
The Veyron, while of course wanting to get that "fastest" title under it's belt, does so in such an accomplished, astoundingly good way that to talk just of it's numbers (400km/h, 1000bhp) misses the point.
So, McLaren F1's top speed; misses the point of the car.
Veyron's top speed/horse power; misses the point of the car.
You then end up with cars like the SSC (did you read the report on it in the www.pistonheads.com/news a couple of weeks ago?) whereby the SOLE point of the car is the top speed. 1183bhp, poor Nissan Bluebird interior, and horrendous driveability. I'm sure it will make the speed, that much power and that much single-focus in today's world makes it almost (and I say this flippantly) "easy".
Now, James May being able to drive THAT to 400km/h+...that would be an achievment.
The Veyron, while of course wanting to get that "fastest" title under it's belt, does so in such an accomplished, astoundingly good way that to talk just of it's numbers (400km/h, 1000bhp) misses the point.
So, McLaren F1's top speed; misses the point of the car.
Veyron's top speed/horse power; misses the point of the car.
You then end up with cars like the SSC (did you read the report on it in the www.pistonheads.com/news a couple of weeks ago?) whereby the SOLE point of the car is the top speed. 1183bhp, poor Nissan Bluebird interior, and horrendous driveability. I'm sure it will make the speed, that much power and that much single-focus in today's world makes it almost (and I say this flippantly) "easy".
Now, James May being able to drive THAT to 400km/h+...that would be an achievment.
Mannginger said:
So it should read "SSC set to smash Koeniggsegg's Top Speed" I guess?
/pedant mode.
No it should read "SSC set to try and smash Veyron's top speed again....will have another go next year too"/pedant mode.
Don't think the Koeniggsegg CCXRXZZRSXZZRR has ever been maxxed out or gone officially faster, that is proper timing gear and independent test team and not willy waving "we did 260mph last weekend...but I was the only one there"
.. FourWheelDrift said:
Mannginger said:
So it should read "SSC set to smash Koeniggsegg's Top Speed" I guess?
/pedant mode.
No it should read "SSC set to try and smash Veyron's top speed again....will have another go next year too"/pedant mode.
Don't think the Koeniggsegg CCXRXZZRSXZZRR has ever been maxxed out or gone officially faster, that is proper timing gear and independent test team and not willy waving "we did 260mph last weekend...but I was the only one there"
jon- said:
Am I the only one thoroughly sick of "xxxxx to beat Veyron" news all over the interweb?
It is only because the Veyron is the top dog and everyone wants a piece of the automotive pie. Not too much different than a few years ago with the Maclaren F1. What a lot of people seem to miss is that the Veyron is a Bugatti. If VW wanted to simply build the worlds fastest car, they cold have done it with a 400,000,000 BHP Passat (OK, just making a point there !). A Bugatti is about style and class, not just speed.TonyHetherington said:
Now, James May being able to drive THAT to 400km/h+...that would be an achievment.
I agree. There should be two top speed values quoted with ever car. The speed a fearless racing driving could reach and the speed James May would be happy to do. So far we've had him hit 200mph in a Bentley and 250mph in a Bugatti. Is there a pattern here with him only trying it in VAG cars?Maybe they should introduce some kind of control factors for all these companies trying to get the top speed title.
Firstly, it should be a production model that has sold 'X' number of cars, say 1000.
This will stop companies putting all their efforts into one-offs and focus on the need to provide a car that will sell and that customers enjoy.
Once you have sold 'X' cars then it should be submitted for a genuine attack at the World Record for fastest production car.
Only fair I think, and it might stop all the PR hunting and willy waving
Firstly, it should be a production model that has sold 'X' number of cars, say 1000.
This will stop companies putting all their efforts into one-offs and focus on the need to provide a car that will sell and that customers enjoy.
Once you have sold 'X' cars then it should be submitted for a genuine attack at the World Record for fastest production car.
Only fair I think, and it might stop all the PR hunting and willy waving
Top speeds like this really are the most useless performance benchmarks. The problem is you either get top speed or 0-60 times being quoted to show how fast a car is, both of which are pointless. It would be much better if magazines started using 0-100 mph, 20-120 mph, 50-150 mph etc because these are far better indicators of a cars performance. Most cars with 1000 hp can't even use full throttle until they are north of 90 mph anyway (unless they have a trick 4WD system like the veyron)
MrKipling43 said:
FourWheelDrift said:
Mannginger said:
So it should read "SSC set to smash Koeniggsegg's Top Speed" I guess?
/pedant mode.
No it should read "SSC set to try and smash Veyron's top speed again....will have another go next year too"/pedant mode.
Don't think the Koeniggsegg CCXRXZZRSXZZRR has ever been maxxed out or gone officially faster, that is proper timing gear and independent test team and not willy waving "we did 260mph last weekend...but I was the only one there"
" A sudden change in the German weather forced Castrol and Bugatti to postpone the attempt to break the Guinness Land Speed World Record. Initially scheduled for October 29 it had already been postponed to November 5, 2006. As weather is unlikely to improve towards the end of 2006, both companies now plan to shift the project to 2007."
Still, it's a forgone result anyway.
I think its great that all these companies are stepping forward to take the Bugatti on. Yeah, the Bugatti maybe the ultimate in moving armchairs, but its publically set the pace and a target to beat.
There are some important things to remember.
The F1 was a fantastic achievement and the fact it kept its crown for so long is testament to how cutting edge it really was. Remember that it was built in the mid 90s vs the Keonigs and Bugattis which were desdesigned and built in a different century.
However, the Bugatti is not the same achievement though. If every Tom, Dick and Harry can build a car that exceeds 250, its pretty obvious things have moved on.
And lets face it, if Bugatti got to 252, and its record is under threat, the Bugatti just isn't as good as it should of been, and is no where near the league of the F1.
Also remember who kept talking up its top speed - VAG themselves. Can't have it both ways when they get beaten. Can't say "ah but it wasn't about top speed" when for the last 2 years they've been eeking out every last mph and spending a fortune doing it.
Not dissing the Bugatti in anyway, but they talked the talk, now its everyone elses turn to have a try.
Another thing to remember - Top Gear have not been allowed to put the Bugatti round the track yet. Everyone says that its a great car - but where is the comparison? Koenig let the CCX go round the track and even took a bit of critisism on board from TG, put the wing on and sent it back to TG. Now THAT is a car company and it says far more about how much they love the car at Koenig than Bugatti putting strings on their vehicle.
Roll on the Bugatti beaters I say!
There are some important things to remember.
The F1 was a fantastic achievement and the fact it kept its crown for so long is testament to how cutting edge it really was. Remember that it was built in the mid 90s vs the Keonigs and Bugattis which were desdesigned and built in a different century.
However, the Bugatti is not the same achievement though. If every Tom, Dick and Harry can build a car that exceeds 250, its pretty obvious things have moved on.
And lets face it, if Bugatti got to 252, and its record is under threat, the Bugatti just isn't as good as it should of been, and is no where near the league of the F1.
Also remember who kept talking up its top speed - VAG themselves. Can't have it both ways when they get beaten. Can't say "ah but it wasn't about top speed" when for the last 2 years they've been eeking out every last mph and spending a fortune doing it.
Not dissing the Bugatti in anyway, but they talked the talk, now its everyone elses turn to have a try.
Another thing to remember - Top Gear have not been allowed to put the Bugatti round the track yet. Everyone says that its a great car - but where is the comparison? Koenig let the CCX go round the track and even took a bit of critisism on board from TG, put the wing on and sent it back to TG. Now THAT is a car company and it says far more about how much they love the car at Koenig than Bugatti putting strings on their vehicle.
Roll on the Bugatti beaters I say!
tinman0 said:
I think its great that all these companies are stepping forward to take the Bugatti on. Yeah, the Bugatti maybe the ultimate in moving armchairs, but its publically set the pace and a target to beat.
There are some important things to remember.
The F1 was a fantastic achievement and the fact it kept its crown for so long is testament to how cutting edge it really was. Remember that it was built in the mid 90s vs the Keonigs and Bugattis which were desdesigned and built in a different century.
However, the Bugatti is not the same achievement though. If every Tom, Dick and Harry can build a car that exceeds 250, its pretty obvious things have moved on.
And lets face it, if Bugatti got to 252, and its record is under threat, the Bugatti just isn't as good as it should of been, and is no where near the league of the F1.
Also remember who kept talking up its top speed - VAG themselves. Can't have it both ways when they get beaten. Can't say "ah but it wasn't about top speed" when for the last 2 years they've been eeking out every last mph and spending a fortune doing it.
Not dissing the Bugatti in anyway, but they talked the talk, now its everyone elses turn to have a try.
Another thing to remember - Top Gear have not been allowed to put the Bugatti round the track yet. Everyone says that its a great car - but where is the comparison? Koenig let the CCX go round the track and even took a bit of critisism on board from TG, put the wing on and sent it back to TG. Now THAT is a car company and it says far more about how much they love the car at Koenig than Bugatti putting strings on their vehicle.
Roll on the Bugatti beaters I say!
Totally agree. Can i just flag one point. Koenig was/is a company that take Supercars and mutate them into monsters. I.e. Koenig Testerossa.There are some important things to remember.
The F1 was a fantastic achievement and the fact it kept its crown for so long is testament to how cutting edge it really was. Remember that it was built in the mid 90s vs the Keonigs and Bugattis which were desdesigned and built in a different century.
However, the Bugatti is not the same achievement though. If every Tom, Dick and Harry can build a car that exceeds 250, its pretty obvious things have moved on.
And lets face it, if Bugatti got to 252, and its record is under threat, the Bugatti just isn't as good as it should of been, and is no where near the league of the F1.
Also remember who kept talking up its top speed - VAG themselves. Can't have it both ways when they get beaten. Can't say "ah but it wasn't about top speed" when for the last 2 years they've been eeking out every last mph and spending a fortune doing it.
Not dissing the Bugatti in anyway, but they talked the talk, now its everyone elses turn to have a try.
Another thing to remember - Top Gear have not been allowed to put the Bugatti round the track yet. Everyone says that its a great car - but where is the comparison? Koenig let the CCX go round the track and even took a bit of critisism on board from TG, put the wing on and sent it back to TG. Now THAT is a car company and it says far more about how much they love the car at Koenig than Bugatti putting strings on their vehicle.
Roll on the Bugatti beaters I say!
Koenigsegg build their own supercars...
:smartarseheadpokedbackin:
Fire99 said:
Totally agree. Can i just flag one point. Koenig was/is a company that take Supercars and mutate them into monsters. I.e. Koenig Testerossa.
Koenigsegg build their own supercars...
yeah, i wasn't sure of the spelling of the rest of their name Koenigsegg build their own supercars...
dunno why now. think i get put off when people get it wrong and shove in 19 letters or so.
Edited by tinman0 on Friday 3rd August 17:08
We could take the record for England chaps! Tally Ho! I recall the Bristol Fighter T was capable of over 270mph but was limited to about 230 in production. Consider that every new model is test driven by Mr Anthony Crook of Bristol who is over 80, setting the record for us with a british bulldog car and driven by an octagenerian would be so cool!!!
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