It's all but official: the Bugatti Veyron is no longer the fastest production car in the world, as US-based Shelby Supercars (SSC) has just snared the record with its Ultimate Aero Twin Turbo.
According to a press release issued by the ultra-niche carmaker, it now holds the title of the "World's Fastest Production Car" after its Aero TT scorched to an average top speed of 411.70km/h.
This figure eclipses the 407km/h v-max unofficially recorded by the mega-expensive Veyron, and it also easily tops the 390.13km/h top whack with which the Swedish-built Koenigsegg CCR is officially credited.
Powered by a thumping 6.2-litre twin-turbo V8, the Aero TT punches out 870kW and 1483Nm, and its manufacturer was confident of cracking the record despite missing out earlier in the year (more here).
In order to ensure it gained the maximum public exposure from the exercise, SSC set out to validate its top speed claim in accordance with the strict guidelines set by Guinness World Records.
Among other requirements, in order to meet Guinness' approval, a vehicle testing for the top speed record must race down the course, turn around, and make a second pass in the opposite direction within one hour.
The vehicle's 'top speed' is calculated by averaging the top speeds of each pass in order to negate any favourable road or weather conditions.
Rather than using a high-speed bowl or the Bonneville Salt Flats for its record attempt, the company chose a temporarily closed two-lane stretch of public highway in Washington State (in northwestern USA) as the venue.
Results followed immediately as the Ultimate Aero posted a top speed of 413.83km/h on its first pass and 409.71km/h on its return pass to set the new top speed record at a staggering 411.76km/h.
The data, collected by Dewetron's GPS tracking system, and other checks will be verified by Guinness before the Ultimate Aero is officially crowned the "World's Fastest Production Car".
What's the secret to its success? Brute force, really, as the 1247kg Aero TT has a power-to-weight ratio of 708kW per tonne. This reportedly enables it to rocket from 0-60mph (0-96km/h) in just 2.78 seconds and spit out the quarter-mile in a fraction under 10 seconds.
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