Few know the legacy of Jerod Shelby, an engineer—no relation to Carroll Shelby—who founded SSC in West Richland, Washington, with the intention of creating fine supercars that could rival the better-known, established brands dominating the market. After years of design and development, the Ultimate Aero was born: a car that became the fastest production car in the world on September 13, 2007, reaching an average top speed of 256.14 MPH on a paved road in rural eastern Washington State, a record that was later broken by the Bugatti Veyron at 267.856 MPH. With that, SSC produced the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, a car that was capable of 273 MPH, as proven in the wind tunnels of NASA at Langley, Virginia. Keep in mind, too, the SSC was a bargain compared to the Bugatti, costing south of $500,000 when it was new. The SSC Ultimate Aero TT on offer is Serial No. 001 and is one of 24 produced between 2006 and 2007. Powered by a midmounted, twin-turbocharged 6.3L V-8 engine rated at 1,183 HP and 1,094 lb-ft of torque, the supercar uses a 6-speed manual transmission to channel the power to the rear wheels. The body is made of carbon fiber, which is partially responsible for its lightweight nature of just 2,749-pounds, and features butterfly-style doors similar to the Ferrari Enzo and LaFerrari, as well as various McLarens. Finished in blue with a black center stripe and detailing, the custom Asanti wheels are also finished in black and wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport tires. Equipped with a gray leather interior with stylish and functional dash- mounted auxiliary gauges, the environment is a lovely blend of racing-inspired functionality and luxury, complete with a touch-screen infotainment system, power windows and more. The Aero also features the front lift system, which raises the nose about 4 inches to help avoid chin scrape on public highways or navigating driveway aprons. Exceedingly rare, astonishingly quick and competitively fast, the Ultimate Aero TT is one of those supercars that defines the market.
