SSC North America

Overview

SSC North America is an American manufacturer of high-performance hypercars based in Richland, Washington, specializing in low-volume production vehicles that compete with European supercars.¹²³ The company is known for setting production car speed records with models like the Ultimate Aero and Tuatara, targeting elite clientele with extreme performance engineering.¹³⁵

History

SSC North America was founded in 1998 by engineer Jerod Shelby, who aimed to create American supercars to rival European models; it was initially named Shelby SuperCars Inc. before rebranding to distinguish itself from Carroll Shelby International.¹³⁵ In 2007, the Ultimate Aero set the Guinness World Record for the fastest production car at 256 mph.¹²⁵ The company reclaimed the record in 2021 with the Tuatara averaging 282.9 mph over 2.5 miles at Kennedy Space Center.³ Jerod Shelby remains the owner and CEO of the privately held firm.¹²

Product Lines

Manufacturing

Design, engineering, research, development, manufacturing, and assembly occur at the headquarters in Richland, Washington, USA.¹³ The company handles production in-house as a small team focused on high-craftsmanship hypercars.¹⁶

Notable Products

• Ultimate Aero - Hypercar that held Guinness World Record for fastest production car at 256 mph from 2007 to 2010.
• Tuatara - Hypercar that averaged 282.9 mph in 2021, reclaiming the production car speed record.

Reputation

SSC North America is respected by enthusiasts for proving American engineering can challenge European hypercar dominance through record-breaking speeds and innovation.¹⁵ Professionals note its achievements with limited resources and small team, though production volumes remain very low.²⁴ Some criticism arises from the niche focus and infrequent new model releases.¹