Jay Leno: Why SSC Ultimate Aero is All American Supercar

• Jay Leno
• SSC
• test drives
• new cars
• Bugatti

Every so often, you hear that somebody’s going to come out with a new supercar. It will be made from exotic materials and packed with innovative, exciting technology. And of course—it’ll top 200 mph. You know the rest. But these supercars never quite happen the way the manufacturers promise. Take the Jaguar XJ220 … back in 1992. First it was going to be a V12, but by the time it came out, the XJ220 had a turbocharged V6. Some of these supercars never make it to our side of the pond at all. I’m sure the Swedish Koenigsegg CCR and the Italian Pagani Zonda are great cars, but you still don’t see them here. They haven’t passed U.S. emissions, at least not yet.

But I’ve just driven a supercar that has. It’s an impressive new American sports car, called the SSC Ultimate Aero. The guy who built it, Jerod Shelby (no relation to Carroll Shelby), did it all in reverse compared to most fledgling supercar companies. First, after seven years of work, he produced the car. Next, he set a production car world speed record on the road and certified the SSC for U.S. emissions. Only then, after he broke the record, did he finally tell everybody about it. At a two-way average speed of 256 mph, the SSC Ultimate Aero is actually faster than a $1.5 million Bugatti Veyron, which has been clocked at 253 mph. And at about $650,000, it’s a lot less expensive.

This guy didn’t just tell people he was going to break a speed record. He actually went out and did it. A lot of people are all talk. Shelby is all action.

I like cars that were essentially designed by one man, or where one man’s personality, vision and influence clearly dic­tated the result. Men like Ettore Bugatti, W.O. Bentley, Fred Duesenberg, and in the beginning years of his company, that was true of Enzo Ferrari, too. They designed the cars they wanted. If you didn’t like it, you didn’t have to buy it. But a few people did, and that’s why those cars are such icons today.

I also think nationalities influence car types. French cars are all about art and intellectualism; German cars are about precision; Italian cars are passionate. And American cars are about brute horsepower, torque and reliability. The SSC Ultimate Aero is red, white and blue to its core. It has a turbocharged 6.3-liter aluminum V8 that develops 1183 hp at 7000 rpm, on 91-octane fuel. That’s just big- grunt horsepower. Its torque rating is 1094 lb.-ft. at 6200 rpm, and it’s all harnessed by a six-speed manual gearbox. The Aero has a theoretical top speed of 273 mph, but they haven’t driven it that fast—yet.

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