The term 'supercars' was almost exclusively used when referring to European cars for most of the 20th century. American cars were never in this conversation, as American manufacturers chose to focus on muscle cars, pickup trucks, and economy cars.
However, as the 21st century started creeping in, we started seeing more American manufacturers attempting to take on the supercar market. It all started with the crazy V10-wielding Dodge Viper in the '90s, and about a decade later, the SSC Ultimate Aero landed and proved once and for all that Americans had it in them to build a proper supercar. Let's explore ten incredible facts about the SSC Ultimate Aero.
10 Built By A Little-Known Company
Jerod Shelby (no, he's not related to the legendary Carroll Shelby) is an American entrepreneur and gearhead who has always dreamed of building a supercar that could take on the best Europe had to offer. So, in 1998, he established SSC North America to do just that.
SSC North America was originally called Shelby SuperCars Inc. but had to change its name to avoid legal issues with Shelby American. The Ultimate Aero was the first car built by SSC North America.
9 Supercar-Worthy Design
To be able to compete with European supercars, the Ultimate Aero needed to have a proper design. SSC designers didn't disappoint, as the Ultimate Aero looks fantastic from every angle. Its front end can easily be mistaken for a Lamborghini, while the rear looks like a Koenigsegg.
Like many other top supercars, the Ultimate Aero has butterfly doors. However, these are not your average butterfly doors, as they open upwards and outwards to make getting in and out easier.
8 A Chevrolet-Sourced Powerplant
As we mentioned earlier, SSC was established in 1998 — about 5 years before the Ultimate Aero arrived. Developing a proper engine with the performance levels SSC required would have been an impossible task for such a young company, which is why SSC decided to use a Chevrolet engine instead.
The Ultimate Aero was equipped with a supercharged Corvette C5-R V8 engine tuned to produce 1,045 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque, giving it insane performance figures.
7 SSC Built A Twin-Turbocharged Version
Equipped with the race-sourced 1,045-hp V8 mentioned above, the Ultimate Aero was a fast car. However, its 248-mph top speed wasn't enough to beat the Bugatti Veyron's record, so SSC had to go back to the drawing board.
After several years of development, SSC introduced the Ultimate Aero TT in 2007. The Ultimate Aero TT was equipped with a new twin-turbo LS6 V8 with 1,180 hp on tap, an upgraded transmission system, and new wheels.
6 A Spartan Interior
Sure, the Ultimate Aero was a high-performance supercar that cost almost $1 million. However, sitting inside it, you could hardly tell as the interior was stripped down to just the basics to keep weight at a minimum.
The car was also equipped with a custom carbon-fiber tub to further reduce weight. Thanks to these measures, the Ultimate Aero only weighed 2,800 lbs.
5 Record-Breaking Speed
When SSC was developing the Ultimate Aero, they wanted it to be the fastest car in the world. With a 248-mph top speed, the Ultimate Aero came close but was still missing a bit of power, which is why SSC introduced the twin-turbocharged version in 2007.
The Ultimate Aero TT was a different beast. Thanks to a new 1,180-hp engine and other upgrades, the Ultimate Aero TT achieved a 254-mph top speed to break the production car speed record.
4 Extremely Dangerous To Drive
The Ultimate Aero is an insane supercar with a 1,000-hp engine under the hood and the ability to hit 250 mph. Of course, such a car would be a handful for most drivers.
However, what makes the Ultimate Aero so dangerous is that, despite having all this power, it was not sold with key electronic driving aids like traction control or ABS. According to Jerod Shelby, they wanted to make the Ultimate Aero the ultimate American driver's car.
3 SSC Planned To Build An Electric Version
The electric vehicle industry in the US is growing faster than ever before, as the demand for EVs seems to be growing every day. SSC seems to have predicted the current state of the EV industry, as it planned to build an electric version of the Ultimate Aero in 2009.
Dubbed the Ultimate Aero EV, this car was supposed to be equipped with a pair of electric motors capable of producing over 1,000 hp. Unfortunately, the car never entered production.
2 End Of Production Special Edition
In 2013, SSC decided to end the Ultimate Aero's production run as it was planning to introduce a successor - the Tuatara. To give the Ultimate Aero a proper send-off, SSC introduced a special version known as the Ultimate Aero XT.
The Ultimate Aero XT was equipped with some components designed for the Tuatara, most notably a 6.9-liter all-aluminum V8 engine. SSC planned to build five XTs, but only ended up building one.
1 A Rare Collectible
Although the Ultimate Aero was undoubtedly special, it was still built by a new American company, which means many were reluctant to buy it. As such, SSC only made around 30 examples, making the Ultimate Aero one of the rarest American cars.
As anyone would expect from such a rare car, the Ultimate Aero isn't cheap. Auction prices are usually in the $500,000 range and are expected to keep going up as more people realize just how great the Ultimate Aero was.