Jay Leno: Why SSC Ultimate Aero is All American Supercar

At 256 MPH the SSC Ultimate Aero is faster than a $1.5 Million Bugatti Veyron. If American cars are about brute horsepower, torque and reliability, the SSC Aero is red white and blue to its core.

Photograph by Daniel Byrne

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 dicÂ­tated 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.

I've driven a Bugatti Veyron, and it's an amazing technical accomplishment, but driving it, you feel a little isolated. I still take pleasure in shifting manually, and I don't need a lot of electronic aids like traction control to keep me on the road. My McLaren F1 is that way; there's no traction control and no ABS. It's a pure sports car-- just like the SSC Aero.

And the Aero is very fast.

Of course, I didn't drive it over 200 mph, but the 0-to-60 mph time for the Ultimate Aero is just 2.78 seconds. Supposedly, at 2.46 seconds, the Veyron is a bit quicker to 60 mph, probably because of its all-wheel drive. Thanks to a lot of aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber, the Aero weighs 2850 pounds--less than a Corvette.

When Shelby brought his car to me for a test drive, I admit I had never heard of it. I wasn't aware of it at all. But after I saw the Aero and then drove it, I was really impressed. This is not a prototype. It's a real street- and emissions-legal car. I drove it on a very hot, 100-degree Los Angeles day. The water temperature never went over 190, and the oil temp stabilized at around 220 degrees. If some of these other ultrafast cars get a little hot, you have to shut them off and wait. They're not very practical. But the SSC Aero is really functional. It's not fragile. You can beat the Aero up all day, and it'll keep running. And it's got a nav system, a backup camera, a 10-speaker stereo/CD system and even room in the trunk! You could probably commute to work in this car if you wanted to.

That's unusual. Supercars aren't supposed to be everyday drivers. You don't take them on shopping trips or to the drugstore. You go out in one of these cars for a long drive, then you put them back in the garage. You don't expect a supercar to be practical; it's all about driving pleasure.

All supercars should have a bit of theater. My McLaren has three seats with a center seat for the driver and pop-up doors. Cars like this should be fun to drive at any speed. The Aero makes a loud wwwhhhooossshhh when you let off the gas, and the turbo-­charger wastegates open and close. That's entertaining whether you're driving 200 mph or not.

Of course, there's a certain cachet to the names Ferrari or Lamborghini when you say you own one, but word is quickly spreading about the SSC Aero. And, as word gets around, owners won't have to make any excuses.

Years ago, Tony Hogg, the editor of Road & Track magazine at the time, owned a 427 Cobra. He'd go to cocktail parties and people would talk about fast cars. Then somebody would ask him what he drove, and he'd say "... a 427 Cobra." Well, that was itÂ--conversation over! So, if you own an SSC Aero, you'll never have to prove anything to anyone. You tell them what's in your garage is certified to be the fastest production car in the world, and that's it­--conversation over.

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