SSC Ultimate Aero II: First Photos Of America's Bugatti Fighter
#91





Sorry for the crease in the page.
By the way can anyone tell me to what purpose the little wings on the back serve?
#92
#94
Thanks for all your responses and questions/raised topics so far.
Since there's a lot that's been touched upon, I'll try to be as concise as possible.
As a few people mentioned, although we've been around for ten years, we did not start selling any Ultimate Aeros until 2007. There is what I’ll call a “point of inflection” where the mentioned companies sales take off exponentially (as mattjs33 noted in more detail). If you take into account that we started selling in 2007 and we’re on to our next project then we’re ahead of that curve.
Jerod’s comments in TG about the interior and exterior were during the original design process. Just like our competitors, we too have dramatically progressed the fit and finish of last few Ultimate Aeros off the line. The next generation is unfolding to be an amazing supercar in every regard. The iterative process for new supercar companies can also be seen by searching for the various models of the mentioned companies and placing their images side by side, it’s obvious to see the transformations over the 10-15 years they’ve been producing cars. At SSC we try to find ways to accelerate the process (no pun intended), and it’s displayed by going from the Ultimate Aero to the current generation in a relatively short amount of time.
Regarding the top speed – It should first be said that the Ultimate Aero is an all around performer. I understand that the speed record clouds all other performance numbers and we’ll be making a strong push to educate. Proof, as I’ve seen people mention on this forum, is that we bested the Enzo’s slalom record with a pre-production Ultimate Aero in 2006. Supercars push the barriers in all respects, handling, speed, looks, etc. These developed technologies and knowledge from pushing the limits end up trickling into everyday cars. There’s a ton to discuss regarding top speed, I’ll start another thread for it. In regards to safety, let me ask a question, how many times do you see an exotic crashed because of a handling error rather than a straight speed accident? It’s fair to say that cars, sports cars, and supercars are all dangerous in the hands of the wrong operator.
Regarding producing a car with “wider appeal”, maybe I fail to fully understand what you mean. In the supercar realm with so few players there needs to be differentiable characteristics to fit a specific purpose. SSC produces driver’s cars, the new model has a plethora of new technology but none that isolate the driver from the experience. Take for example the one piece carbon fiber wheels from Carbon Revolution, they improve handling, braking, acceleration, all while maintaining the visceral experience. The Ultimate Aero and Veyron are frequently compared to one another because of top speed, but they could not be more different.
Streedrod454, I’m not sure why the article confused you. I know this is a biased statement, but I really felt that TG did a great job in conveying who SSC is, what our goals are, and what we’re doing in the future.
@Alzilla, TG has an exclusive for a little while so I’ll post some as soon as I can, .
Since there's a lot that's been touched upon, I'll try to be as concise as possible.
As a few people mentioned, although we've been around for ten years, we did not start selling any Ultimate Aeros until 2007. There is what I’ll call a “point of inflection” where the mentioned companies sales take off exponentially (as mattjs33 noted in more detail). If you take into account that we started selling in 2007 and we’re on to our next project then we’re ahead of that curve.
Jerod’s comments in TG about the interior and exterior were during the original design process. Just like our competitors, we too have dramatically progressed the fit and finish of last few Ultimate Aeros off the line. The next generation is unfolding to be an amazing supercar in every regard. The iterative process for new supercar companies can also be seen by searching for the various models of the mentioned companies and placing their images side by side, it’s obvious to see the transformations over the 10-15 years they’ve been producing cars. At SSC we try to find ways to accelerate the process (no pun intended), and it’s displayed by going from the Ultimate Aero to the current generation in a relatively short amount of time.
Regarding the top speed – It should first be said that the Ultimate Aero is an all around performer. I understand that the speed record clouds all other performance numbers and we’ll be making a strong push to educate. Proof, as I’ve seen people mention on this forum, is that we bested the Enzo’s slalom record with a pre-production Ultimate Aero in 2006. Supercars push the barriers in all respects, handling, speed, looks, etc. These developed technologies and knowledge from pushing the limits end up trickling into everyday cars. There’s a ton to discuss regarding top speed, I’ll start another thread for it. In regards to safety, let me ask a question, how many times do you see an exotic crashed because of a handling error rather than a straight speed accident? It’s fair to say that cars, sports cars, and supercars are all dangerous in the hands of the wrong operator.
Regarding producing a car with “wider appeal”, maybe I fail to fully understand what you mean. In the supercar realm with so few players there needs to be differentiable characteristics to fit a specific purpose. SSC produces driver’s cars, the new model has a plethora of new technology but none that isolate the driver from the experience. Take for example the one piece carbon fiber wheels from Carbon Revolution, they improve handling, braking, acceleration, all while maintaining the visceral experience. The Ultimate Aero and Veyron are frequently compared to one another because of top speed, but they could not be more different.
Streedrod454, I’m not sure why the article confused you. I know this is a biased statement, but I really felt that TG did a great job in conveying who SSC is, what our goals are, and what we’re doing in the future.
@Alzilla, TG has an exclusive for a little while so I’ll post some as soon as I can, .
#95
Personally, I couldn't care less how it looks or how nice the interior is. So long as the interior is on par with an F40 and all the panels line up, works for me.
The thing I love about the Aero is that SOMEONE actually made a light, crazy fast supercar with a real gearbox and a minimum of electronic nanny gadgets. It should be noted that SSC is currently the only one in the world doing this, and my hat is off to them for it.
Please, guys, don't lose focus of the vital metrics that make an amazing car what it is, as unfortunately McLaren and just about everyone else seem to have done. Make it light, make it stupid fast, put a real gearbox in the thing, and leave the rest up to the driver.
The thing I love about the Aero is that SOMEONE actually made a light, crazy fast supercar with a real gearbox and a minimum of electronic nanny gadgets. It should be noted that SSC is currently the only one in the world doing this, and my hat is off to them for it.
Please, guys, don't lose focus of the vital metrics that make an amazing car what it is, as unfortunately McLaren and just about everyone else seem to have done. Make it light, make it stupid fast, put a real gearbox in the thing, and leave the rest up to the driver.
#97
Not to sound like a fanboy, but I've gotta say this is one of the most striking supercar designs I've seen in a loooooong time. What's even better is that this is going to be a production car, not just a concept car that won't see the light of day or be driven in anger.
Absolutely love it. I think that if the guys at SSC really stepped up their marketing with this car and got the word out, posters of this car will adorn the walls of damn near every 12 yr old boy around the world.
Absolutely love it. I think that if the guys at SSC really stepped up their marketing with this car and got the word out, posters of this car will adorn the walls of damn near every 12 yr old boy around the world.
#99
SSCJunus thanks for coming on and trying to answer our questions.
I will try and explain myself better. When I said "wider appeal" what I was getting at was this. Are you looking to build a world car that will sell in all markets? If so you have to take into consideration what those markets look for in a car like this.
How do you expect to establish brand recognition? I know I keep going back to Pagani but I think they have many parallels with your situation. They not only sold on high performance and being able to better the likes of Ferrari, but they also focused on a product that was so beautifully made it would take your breath away. Buyers could see where their money was going and why it offered an alternative to the more established brands.
As for being confused, what I meant by that was what are the companies goals for the future, why should I buy your car over say the new C9 Pagani?
Your USP at the moment appears to be top speed which in the real world is an irrelevance. Great you may beat the latest record, but how hard would it be for Bugatti to take it back and where would that leave you?
The only thing you could do is what the Mclaren F1 did and beat the record but such a large amount that no one would bother to challenge it for 10 + years or so.
I love the idea that you are trying to build something great, I just question how you are going to do it. I wish you luck
I will try and explain myself better. When I said "wider appeal" what I was getting at was this. Are you looking to build a world car that will sell in all markets? If so you have to take into consideration what those markets look for in a car like this.
How do you expect to establish brand recognition? I know I keep going back to Pagani but I think they have many parallels with your situation. They not only sold on high performance and being able to better the likes of Ferrari, but they also focused on a product that was so beautifully made it would take your breath away. Buyers could see where their money was going and why it offered an alternative to the more established brands.
As for being confused, what I meant by that was what are the companies goals for the future, why should I buy your car over say the new C9 Pagani?
Your USP at the moment appears to be top speed which in the real world is an irrelevance. Great you may beat the latest record, but how hard would it be for Bugatti to take it back and where would that leave you?
The only thing you could do is what the Mclaren F1 did and beat the record but such a large amount that no one would bother to challenge it for 10 + years or so.
I love the idea that you are trying to build something great, I just question how you are going to do it. I wish you luck
#100
For me, part of the appeal of the Zonda and the CCX is the "engineering porn" aspect of them. I could literally spend hours looking over a stripped down version of either car. Every hinge, lever, bar, spring and mechanism seems to ooze with that hand-crafted, billet machined look. IMHO, all the results-oriented engineering in the world will have limited "I'll spend a million dollars on that car" appeal, unless it also looks the part. Essentially, if a car is the fastest, quickest, best handling car in world, but does not have that "ultra-engineered" visual appeal, it seems people will have a hard time perceiving that car is worth $1mil. This is simply the viewpoint of someone who lusts after such cars but does not own one, nor can I afford one any time soon.
Will the new supercar from SSC have that "ulra-engineered" visual aspect to its design under the skin?
Will the new supercar from SSC have that "ulra-engineered" visual aspect to its design under the skin?





