SSC Tuatara’s Cockpit Revealed

A few months ago, we brought you a glimpse of potentially the world’s fastest supercar, the SSC Tuatara (click here to read the article). It will join the elite over a thousand horsepower club when it hits production next year.

To match the extroverted styling of the exterior, the designers have given the cockpit similarly futuristic design.

From these first official interior images of the Tuatara, it is evident that the designers wanted a hi-tech cabin that stands out from the crowd. With lashings of Storm Trooper white in a sea of Darth Vader black, there isn’t a single analogue dial in sight. In their place are floating digital displays to convey the vital information required by the driver.

The 275mph (442.57km/h) figure on the Tuatara’s speedometer signals its maker’s ambition to reclaim the fastest production car thrown from the venerable Bugatti Veyron SS (at 431.072km/h).

The main instrument in front of the driver displays the car’s speed and engine revolutions. Information are projected on to the floating display. To the right, a little display tells the driver the current gear and is flanked by a gear shift indicator. Another display to the left provides customisable information such as lap times as shown.

The driver will not be the only one having fun in the Tuatara. SSC has incorporated two head-up displays on the passenger side as well. They are designed to create a “unique yet thrilling experience” for the passenger by making them feel like “a co-pilot instead of just a tag-along”.

More and more these days, manufacturers’ are trying to provide cars with some sort of ‘emotion’. It started with the needle sweeps (also known as staging) to signal that the car is ‘waking up’. Then, there are gear knobs that pop up from the console and start buttons that pulsate in different colour, depending on the car’s state.

Similarly, the Tuatara’s start button will illuminate in red in a clockwise sequence when pressed, before the engine fires into life.

There is a huge touch screen centre console where most of the car’s functions can be controlled. It is flanked by buttons for managing the traction control and driving modes.

These days when the manual gearbox is gradually being condemned to the museum, it is refreshing to see the Tuatara will come standard with a good old 7-speed H-pattern manual transmission. For those who prefer two pedals motoring, the car can be optioned with a 7-speed sequential paddle shift transmission.

In the heart of the Tuatara beats a 7.0-litre twin-turbo V8 engine with 1007kW of power and 1413Nm of torque. Shelby Super Cars claims it will blast from 0-60mph (0-96.6km/h) in just 2.5 seconds.

The car is expected to cost around US$970,000 when it hits show rooms in 2012.

Check Also

Polestar 4 SUV-coupe priced from $82k

Polestar 4, the SUV coupe by the Scandinavian EV marque, is now officially on sale …