The ultimate supercar from a home-grown manufacturer, Shelby SuperCars set out to tackle European carmakers head-on, faster, more powerful the super rare Ultimate Aero did all that and more.

Sure, its asking price was a little on the steep side for what was an unknown brand, but the Veyron, the only car that got close to the Aero Ultimate, was over double the asking price. Then there is the name, Ultimate Aero, surely hinting at the brand's ambitious plans to build the fastest production car.

Eventually entering production in 2007, a host of developmental changes transforming a potent supercar into something that had over 1000 hp was almost unheard of. Even then, SSC didn't stop there, going on to build more powerful versions in even fewer numbers. That's part of the attraction of SSC's Ultimate Aero, everyone and their dog has seen the Veyron, but who can honestly say they have seen the Aero in bare carbon fiber?

The World's fastest title may have been wrested away, but as a moment of American engineering excellence, the Aero will always be special.

10 Shelby SuperCars Inc.

SSC Logo
Via SSC North America

Founded in 1998 Shelby SuperCars Inc based out of Benton County, Washington despite the obvious "Shelby" connection have nothing in common with Carroll Shelby's operation. The name understandably drawing false conclusions among gearheads later led to the adoption of the simpler SSC branding.

SSC Ultimate Aero
Via WSupercars

It would be a further six years before the Ultimate Aero broke cover, marking the beginning of SSC North America's impressive run of world record-breaking machinery.

9 The First Prototypes (2004-05)

SSC Aero SC 8T
Via Barrett-Jackson

Those early development years spawned two prototypes under the Aero SC/8T branding in reflection of development mules engine configuration, although both are visually similar the second development car had a lower power output and top speed.

SSC Aero SC 8T - Side View
Via Barrett-Jackson

Both used Chevrolet power, chassis No.1 assembled in 2004 equipped with a highly tuned V8 punched out over 900 hp. Its successor from 2005 used a lower state of tune with just 790 hp on tap, despite the differing power figures only around 10 mph separated the two at the top end, with the earlier car recording a maximum 241 mph.

RELATED: 8 Coolest Prototypes That Got Cancelled Before Hitting The Streets

8 World's Fastest Production Car (2007)

SSC Ultimate Aero - Side view
Via Wallpaper Flare

The motoring press is awash with claims of new speed records for production cars, however, one publication stands as the defacto globally acknowledged keeper of records, Guinness World Records.

SSC Ultimate Aero Rear Quarter
Via Wallpaper Safari

In 2007, SSC set out with a pre-production example of the Ultimate Aero using a local stretch of public highway closed off for the world record-breaking attempt. Under the scrutiny of Guinness, SSC set a GPS verified two-way average speed of 256.18 mph, breaking both the previous unofficial and official records set by Koenigsegg and Bugatti, respectively.

7 Powered By Chevrolet

SSC Ultimate Aero TT - Front Quarter
Via: Mecum Auctions

Continued development ahead of production meant extracting more power from the SSC Aero's engine. The simplest and most cost-effective method saw the adoption of twin-turbochargers, from where customer cars get their Aero TT name.

SSC Ultimate Aero TT Engine Bay
Via Mecum Auctions

SSC employing a modified variant of the Katech-tuned LS1 motor as used by Chevrolet's Corvette C5-R racing program, in the Aero TT turbochargers replacing the stock supercharger and sporting a jump in displacement to 6.3-liters to generate 1183 hp, almost double that of the FIA restricted Corvette. For the 2009 model year, more updates yielded more power with 1287 hp.

6 Carbon-Fiber, Steel, And Venturis

SSC Ultimata Aero - Front
Via Mecum Auctions

Equally important in the SSC Aeros astonishing abilities, weight, and grip both play vital roles in making the fast even faster. An excess of weight blunts acceleration handling and top speed, conversely, too little weight and grip suffers.

SSC-Aero---Rear-View-1
Via Mecum Auctions

The solution is simple, SSC designed a custom carbon-fiber tub weighing a mere 60kgs, within which a steel box-framed chassis adds both rigidity and mounting points for the car's exterior. All in, the Aero weighs just 2,600 lbs, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 1030 hp per ton. Saving weight is admirable, but regaining grip through downforce is a clever trick, the entire underside of the Aero TT formed from carbon fiber exiting through two venturi tunnels at the rear, weight over the rear axle increasing with speed.

RELATED: 10 American Sports Cars With The Craziest Power-To-Weight Ratios

5 Low Rent Interior

SSC Interior - Left
Via Mecum

Attention-grabbing performance headlines with supercar slaying performance are one thing, but for the most part, gearheads are going to be faced with an interior that wouldn't look out of place in a '90s budget sports car, not the impression you would expect after handing over $740,000.

SSC Interior - Right
Via Mecum

Yes it had leather and bucket seats, the driver even had a set of sportier black on white dials, but the SSC Aero didn't shout quality. As production ramped up, trim did get better, with gearheads able to ramp up the wow factor to suit personal taste, but any buyers of early examples might have been disappointed.

4 Attention-Grabbing Doors

SSC Ultimate Aero TT - Side View
Via Wallpaperflare

Nothing about the SSC Aero is ordinary, from its monstrously powerful V8 turbo power train to the exotic blend of carbon-fiber and titanium construction materials, so why should getting in or out be any different?

SSC Ultimate Aero TT - Doors open
Via Wallpaperflare

Apart from the obvious crowd-pulling visual impact of butterfly doors, the more complex butterfly door mechanism isn't just for show, opening upwards and outwards actually makes getting in and out much easier with wider door apertures.

3 The EV That Never Was

SSC Ultimate EV - Front Quarter
Via New Atlas

Around the same time, SSC Unveiled the updated Aero TT supercar plans for a fully electric version also emerged. Sporting a twin-electric motor set-up generating in the region of 1005 hp.

SSC Ultimate EV - Rear Quarter
Via New Atlas

Mated to a three-speed automatic transmission geared toward a top speed of 208 mph, with sixty coming up in 2.5 seconds, the proposed Aero EV at the time would have been among the fastest electric cars in production, however, none were ever produced.

Related: 5 Fastest EVs On The Market In 2021 (And The 5 Slowest)

2 End Of Production Special Edition

Ultimate Aero - Front Quarter
Via YouTube

Going out with a bang, the last incarnation of the Ultimate Aero visually looks near identical save for a few minor tweaks to the XT's aerodynamic pack. A small rear-mounted spoiler was, for the most part, hidden from view, that is, until you stomp the brake pedal, forcing it to rise by 20 cm, boosting stopping power in the process.

Ultimate Aero XT - Front Quarter
Via Steam Community

In all, just five Aero XTs would be built, the last rolling down the producing line in 2013 with a price tag rumored to be a cool $85,0000, which, given the SSC's rarity, makes it a positive bargain. Under the deck, SSC enlarged the V8 motor to 6.9 liters with a power output of 1300 hp, top speed pegged at 257 mph.

1 Rare And Exclusive

Ultimate Aero TT - Fornt Quarter
Via Pinterest

Once the holder of the world's fastest production car title, you might think the Ultimate Aero TT was quite popular, but doing a quick check of the figures we could find, and you'd be surprised how few cars SSC makes and sells. Taking into account both prototypes, 24 Aero TTs and then the run-out of five XT specification cars make just 31 cars. What about base specification cars? We couldn't find any mention of sales or numbers.

SSC Tuatara
Via: WSupercars

All of which makes the current SSC Tuatara look positively common, with a planned production run of 99 cars. Want a rare SSC? Seek out the Ultimate Aero TT/XT instead.