One of the biggest news of 2020 was SSC Tuatara's alleged 330-mph top speed run. The news ended amid controversy as many said there were inconsistencies between the automaker’s claims and what actually happened during that run. In the end, SSC had to admit it failed to achieve 330 mph, and, on its next attempt, the Tuatara hit a top speed of 282.9 mph. While the number is nowhere near 330 mph, the Tuatara still broke the Agera RS' previous 277.9 mph top speed record.

SSC wasn't happy with that result, and it took the Tuatara back on the track for another attempt. The result was more than satisfying as the supercar got even closer to the 300-mph mark.

Behind the wheel was the same Tuatara customer, Larry Caplin, that broke the record back in 2021. This time around, however, SSC did its homework very well as it invited a lot of people to witness the event. First, they had the Racelogic technician Mitchell Townsend and independent analyst Robert Mitchell, but also SSC North America Founder and CEO Jerod Shelby. The attempt took place at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility on May 14th, 2022. The track is relatively short - 2.3 miles - which means the Tuatara has somewhat limited room to run at full throttle.

The SSC Tuatara was able to hit a top speed of 295.0 mph (474.8 km/h) officially becoming the world’s fastest production vehicle. The record was recorded by Racelogic with dual VBOX GNSS systems onboard the Tuatara, but also with a Life Racing GPS unit for additional data acquisition. It seems that SSC wanted to be sure this time the record will be official. SSC's CEO Jerod Shelby is actually sure that if there was more track, the car could have hit a higher top speed.

"I think this car is a 300 car all day. The sheer acceleration at these high numbers above 250, 260, even into the 280’s, it’s hands down the fastest car that I have seen. The acceleration is there, the top end is there, and I believe that this is the only car that I know of right now that can be verified running 300, especially in such a short distance," said Robert Mitchell.

While the Tuatara may have just gained the title of the world's fastest car, it will probably not enjoy the crown for too long. Bugatti already announced that a modified version of the Chiron reached a top speed of 304.773 mph, while Hennessey is also preparing the Venom F5 to go over 300 mph. Not to mention that Koenigsegg also claims its latest Jesko Absolut can hit 330 mph.

As a reminder, the SSC Tuatara is powered by a twin-turbo 5.9-liter V-8 engine that delivers 1,350 horsepower on 91-octane gasoline or 1,750 horses when fed E85 flex fuel. While top speed has just been set at 295.0 mph, the 0 to 60 mph sprint time has yet to be released. It is believed to be capable of hitting the benchmark in the 2.5 second range, though.