A number of factors could have been involved in that. This time, the run took place on a 2.3-mile stretch of tarmac at Kennedy Space Center, with the car’s owner Larry Caplin taking the wheel. The last run took place in Nevada, with professional driver Oliver Webb at the wheel.
With telemetry equipment from four different suppliers on-board, the car is this time verified (unofficially at present) as cracking 279.7mph one way, and 286.1mph the other way. The speeds are also signed and certified in an official document by Jim Lau, Technical Director at Racelogic USA.
They’re not done yet, though. The car is still claimed to be good for over 300mph, with both Caplin and Shelby insisting they and the car will be back for more and that this was something of a test run.
As a reminder, the SSC Tuatara uses a bespoke 5.9-litre twin-turbo V8 that’s good for over 1,770PS (1,302kW) while running on an E85 fuel blend. It weighs just 1,247kg dry and has a drag coefficient of just 0.279. A 99-car production run is planned, with this record-setting car being the first delivered.