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The SSC Ultimate Aero TT is officially the world’s fastest production car – hitting 257mph.

And behind the helm of the SSC Ultimate Aero TT was 71-year-old driver Chuck Bigelow.

Guinness World Records has confirmed that the lightweight hypercar achieved an official record speed of 256.19mph in two passes along Highway 221 in Washington, USA.

The first pass was at an astonishing 257.45mph, with the second hitting 254.92mph.

The SSC beat the 1,001bhp Bugatti Veyron – which Top Gear presenter James May unofficially recorded at 254mph – meaning the £830,000 hypercar is no longer the most potent production car on earth.

Shelby Supercars – which builds the Ultimate Aero – says its new record marks the first time an American car manufacturer has held the world’s fastest production car record since 1967 – when the Ford GT40 hit 167mph.

The bonkers SSC Ultimate Aero uses a 6.2-litre twin-turbocharged V8 to produce a mind-blowing 1,183bhp and 1,094 lb/ft of pulling power.

And SSC believe wind tunnel testing calculates the Ultimate Aero’s top speed to be 273mph.

Owner Jerod Shelby said: “Since the Mclaren F1, the Koenigsegg CCR, and the Bugatti Veyron all had a luxury that SSC hasn’t had yet, we look forward to the day we can test the Ultimate Aero’s true top speed capability in a controlled environment with a near perfect surface, as our predecessors did.”

Check out the SSC in action.

Look at the Wheels on That: SSC Ultimate Aero

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