New 1,750-hp SSC Tuatara Striker (w/ startup)

A new silver SSC Tuatara Striker with red accents, one of 100 units being built, arriving at and leaving Ancillary Studios at South Coast Plaza during its Pre-Monterey Gathering (a.k.a. "Prebble"), hosted in partnership with Zuma Cars & Coffee. Introduced in May 2021, the Striker is a high-downforce version of the Tuatara featuring aerodynamic enhancements including a larger front splitter, new rear diffuser, and fixed rear wing. It is powered by the same 5.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the base Tuatara producing 1,750 horsepower.

After waiting a whole seven years for the Tuatara to reach production since its 2011 debut in concept form, I had become a bit skeptical about whether the car would actually make it. But it not only showed up in production form in 2018, but also looks every bit as sexy now as it over a decade ago. Jason Castriota did an amazing job creating a design that's surprisingly smooth and simple but still worthy of the car's seven-figure price tag. In the Striker's case, the new aero bits really get to shine, adding an unmistakable dose of attitude to the Tuatara's fighter jet-like appearance.

A lot has changed in the past decade, with most million-dollar supercars now adopting electric or hybrid powertrains. Sure, that may result in quicker acceleration and more horsepower, but there's simply nothing like the sound of a raw American-made V8. And really, does anyone need more than 1,750 horsepower?

As far as I know, there hasn't been all that many customer Tuatara deliveries yet, though I don't know how many orders have been placed already. SSC may not yet be among the well-established supercar/hypercar manufacturers, but I certainly hope that will change as more examples of the Tuatara hit the road.

Would you choose a Tuatara over other similarly-priced hypercars? Leave a comment on YouTube and let me know!