American owned car manufacturer Shelby SuperCars (SSC) have just set the new world record for the worlds fastest production car.
Driven by our very own British racing driver Oliver Webb. The Tuatara reached the eye watering speeds of 331mph in two directions in Las Vegas, Nevada last week. Knocking the Bugatti Chiron’s vmax of 304.77mph off the top spot. Â
The 1,247kg hypercar is powered by a twin-turbocharged 5.9-litre flat-plane crank V8 producing 1,750 horsepower. But, it’s not only the powerful engine to thank for its monstrous speeds. The aero design of its carbon fibre bodywork plays a huge part in producing an unbelievable 0.279 drag coefficient.
Good friend of Bridge Classic Cars, Vince Cheung, and one of our trusty tyre fitters Graeme Clarke of WeFitAnyTyresAnywhere met racing legend Oliver Webb at the Goodwood Motorsport event three years ago.
When it comes to the history of vehicle land speeds, the earlier records aren’t always that clear. However, it is on record that as early as 1926, Welsh engineer J.G. Parry-Thomas reached 169.30mph and 171.02mph in his 26.9-litre special ‘Babs’ on Pendine Sands on the south coast of Wales.
A year later, Parry-Thomas returned to Pendine Sands to regain the record he lost to his arch rival, English aristocrat, Sir Malcolm Campbell. Tragically though, Parry-Thomas was killed when he lost control of the vehicle and it flipped. It was unofficially reported that he reached a top speed of 180mph that day.
Parry-Thomas’ crew chose to bury the record-breaking car in the sand dunes at Pendine, to mark the both extortionary and tragic event. Over forty years later in 1969, permission was granted to Owen Wyn Owen to dig up ‘Babs’ who then spent the next few years restoring the one-of-a-kind car. Wyn Owens son, Geraint Wyn Owen, then inherited the car and has been maintaining her condition ever since.
Cars to some might be boxes of metal on wheels. But to others, including us here at Bridge Classic Cars, they are so much more than that. To us, they’re human triumphs, they’re our history, they’re people’s stories.
We love to share stories of classic cars. So, if you have your own to share, we’d love to hear from you!
