SSC Tuatara adds Striker and Aggressor versions

Only four months after the SSC Tuatara managed to knock the Koenigsegg Agera RS off the top spot as the world’s fastest car, SSC North America is clearly not prepared to rest on its laurels.

Rather than standing still, the American manufacturer has gone back to work and developed two fresh takes on the Tuatara, each with a deliberately evocative name: Striker and Aggressor.

SSC Tuatara Striker

The SSC Tuatara Striker is instantly set apart by a noticeably more hard-edged look. That styling is not merely for show, though: the additional aerodynamic components are there to deliver higher downforce.

Striker aerodynamics and downforce

SSC North America says the Tuatara Striker can produce 500 kg of downforce at 257 km/h (160 mph). That figure is attributed to an aerodynamic pack that includes an active rear wing, side skirts, a huge diffuser, and even a wing fitted with vertical stabilisers (as on… aircraft).

The company also claims that around 55% of the downforce is directed over the rear axle, which helps to “optimise the balance, predictability and offering greater stability”.

Striker cabin and powertrain

Inside, details are scarce, but the cabin is said to feature Alcantara and carbon fibre. Mechanically, the Striker keeps the familiar yet still extraordinary 5.9 V8 biturbo producing 1774 cv (with E85). Power is sent through a seven-speed automated manual gearbox capable of shifting in 100 milliseconds.

The Tuatara Aggressor

If the Striker is attention-grabbing, the SSC Tuatara Aggressor aims to go further still. Using the Striker as a starting point, SSC North America claims it has created a model able to offer “options in performance, appearance and experiences almost unlimited and impossible to achieve on road models”.

In practice, that means the Tuatara Aggressor is intended solely for the circuit (whereas the Striker can be driven on public roads), positioning it as the most extreme interpretation of the world’s fastest car.

Interestingly, SSC is quoting the same downforce numbers for the Aggressor as for the Striker, which suggests the two new Tuatara versions may end up looking broadly identical.

Its track-first brief should be obvious in the interior (which has not yet been shown). The Aggressor is expected to receive a version-specific carbon-fibre dashboard, along with a carbon-fibre rollbar, optional five-point harnesses, and competition seats that can be tailored to the owner.

There is more to note under the bonnet. SSC North America is offering an option that raises the 5.9 V8 biturbo from 1774 cv to an even more striking 2231 cv. How that increase is achieved has not been disclosed, and neither has the price of these two new versions of its record-holder.