Hi guys, I have been following the story of the SSC for a while and to be honest I was not sure I could take the company seriously. But today, Top Gear magazine in the UK has published a number of pics of the new car and comments from an interview with Mr Shelby and I have to say I am now even more confused.

I have scanned the article onto here; I hope I have not broken any rules, for you guys in the USA as I am not sure you get this mag in the USA.

I have a few questions that maybe some of you can answer.

Apparently only 15 of the original cars have been built so far which seems very low considering the company has been around for ten years, why is this number so low?

Shelby is quoted as saying that the looks of the original car and its interior were not that important to him, but the aero package was. This does give some weight to the "kit car" comments we have all heard. Do we think he has the skills to get it right on the new car?

Shelby also states that there is a reticence amongst American buyers, which given the usual American patriotism I find it odd that they are not supporting a home grown product. Would any of you can to comment on this point?

As for the new car it looks interesting. But I will wait to see a fully finished car before passing judgment.

 

While the company has been around fifteen years, that doesn't mean they start building cars from the day they open their doors. It takes years to get to the point where they can start building cars. I think the first cars rolled out the door around late 2006 or early 2007.

Also, when you get up into those prices, and you build something as unique at the UA, it has very special appeal. It's usually a buyer who has a larger collection of cars and wants that one car that will beat the living hell out of everything else. That's been the usual buyer.

As for American buyers, having talked to many candidates and having introduced Ben to SSC, they all start from a point of skepticism, which is normal in car circles. Most of the cars are owned by the super-wealthy who don't care much about heritage or where the hell the car came from, they are just looking for something else to buy.

Each of the boutique car companies has to deal with the nonsense of people who have no idea what they are talking about, the typical armchair critic, who doesn't own any exotic of any kind, but likes to play on the forums, who then thinks of themselves as an opinion leader simply because they spend all their money on car magazines. It's tiring wading through the nonsense they spew and I'm the one who encouraged SSC to be a part of TeamSpeed because there are more exotic owners here than just about anywhere else. SSC will likely remain on here as long as the questions and comments remain intelligent and informed. As a small company, they wear a lot of hats, and there just aren't enough hours in the day to deal with nonsense, so I sincerely hope people think before they write. I'd like to see all the car companies participate in the discussion but for that to happen, the quality of the discussion has to remain fairly high.

 

You've definitely come to the right place, Junus!

Any word on when we'll see some new photos?

 

May I respond to your comments? The number of cars produced is very low considering how long the company has been in existence. Let’s compare them to Pagani who have produced over 120 cars in ten years to universal acclaim on styling and performance, fit and finish. They also sell for a lot more than the SSC

As for being an arm chair critic, please give me a break. I posted the article for the benefit of readers of this forum. Mr Shelby had obviously agreed to take part so what is the problem

Also having driven and raced number exotics over the last 30 years I would like to think my opinion carries a little weight.

If on the other hand your comments were not directed at me then I apologise.

I was only trying to add some more information to the discussion; if you read it you would see it was actually very positive. If you are in the market for a car like this then you tend to search the media for information so I see no harm it putting this out to the public

 

Streetrod, keep in mind that in the rarefied air of this level of car, at these prices, the number of qualified buyers gets very small. Add to that, that a lot of people really aren't aware of SSC and you get the idea why so few have been sold, especially in the U.S. in this economic climate. But in all reality, fifteen cars in a production run spanning 2007-2010 isn't that bad for what is essentially a start-up.

Keep in mind that Koenigsegg only built around 24 cars from 2001-2006, when the CCX was introduced, and it was only then that sales really took off. Also consider that Koenigsegg #046 (a 2008 car) still sits unsold on an open MSO at Wynn Penske Ferrari in Las Vegas, and you get the idea that at this level it's not just as easy as building them and having people waiting in line with money.

I'll just bet that with this new car, if it is everything it appears to be, that SSC will see an increase in sales very similar to what Koenigsegg experienced with the release of the refined CCX series.

 

No it doesn't.
Everyone should be a fanboy praising every single aspect of every single car SSC made.

 

I agree with virtually everything you have said, but on the flip side if you build the right product then people will buy. I refer back again to Pagani. All of those cars were built to order, none were spec cars.

I suppose what I am having trouble getting my head around in what is Shelby's end game. You talk about the customer market being small, why then chase an even smaller market who are purely interested in having top speed bragging rights?

The Veyrons current 267.86 mph is now in the realms of seriously dangerous, even Pierre-Henri Raphanel the test driver said his overriding feeling was of relief that they had made it without incident. This kind of battle usually ends in someone getting killed, is it really worth it?

Would his money be better spent developing the new car into a world class product with a wider appeal? Judging by what I heard this may be what he is doing.

Without trying to sound patronising it would be great if an American company could produce a supercar that could compete not just on performance (we know it can do that) but on world wide sales as well with the current Europeans. I hope Shelby with his new car can do that

 

"streetrod454" thanks for adding the article!

 

If you get a chance, would you mind including a similar scan of the magazine cover with the front 3/4 shot along with the page showing the other half of the rear view?

Thanks!

>8^)
ER

 

Thanks for the article! Rep!
Definitely does not disappoint in those pics. Whoa. Castriota is a master with mid-engine supercars.