Just a short while ago the SSC Ultimate
Aero stormed to the record of the World's
Fastest Car, but on the outskirts of
Dortmund the deftest touch on the 9ff GT9's
throttle was all it took to convince me that
the American machine won't hold the title
for long.
That's when the
sheer force of a
987bhp monster hitting
full boost hit
home and the car
took off down the
road like the shattered
case of a blown
grenade. With the
deftest touch I was
pressed so hard into
the seat that even
breathing had to wait
for the gear change.
Even the expletives
were forced back
down my throat by
the sheer forward
thrust.
Grabbing the manual
six speed and
slotting the next cog
threw me violently
into the belts before
those monstrous 20”
rear wheels gained
traction and spat the
car down the road
once again.
It's a staccato
flurry of acceleration
and the
wheels spin all the
way into fifth if you
can find that much
clear road and
nerve combined.
The noise threatened
to draw
blood from my
ears as blasting
waste gates and
8000 near uninsulated
revs
clashed violently
inside my inner
ear. The Driftbox
slapped on the
screen whirred
round like the early
hours of the
Children in Need
telethon counter
and a short
gap in traffic
was all it
took to
break the
300km/h
barrier.
Then, as an optimistic Clio driver
pulled into the outside line in the middle
distance, solid in his belief that nothing
would be coming up with a closing speed
of more than 160 km/h, an overly cautious
shove on the brakes threatened to
stand this 1380-kg machine on its nose.
At a time when modern supercar
manufacturers want 320 km/h speeds
delivered so smoothly babies could sleep
on the passenger seat, this is a savage
and deliberate departure. It's a throwback
to ancient times of knuckle-dragging
power and yes, even fear.
“I find the Veyron too perfect, too
easy,” said 9ff boss Jan Fatthauer. “I
wanted to build a car that would give my
customers a little fight, a little special
plaything for the weekends.”
Only the numbers truly explain this
car's potential. On a cold day when the
0-100 km/h time was limited to 4 seconds
it still blasted past 300km/h
(186.4mph) in just 17.6s and 870
metres. With the right conditions at
Papenburg it hit 100 km/h in 2.5s and
nailed 409 km/h at the end of the
straight, just 4km/h shy of the SSC
Aero's record and faster than Bugatti's
all-conquering Veyron that still holds the
FIA record for properly homologated
cars. Jan won't give up either, that
record is a few tweaks and a perfect day
away.
This is the first complete car from
the German tuning giant that has forged
a reputation for big horsepower 911s
since its inception in 2001 and has a
whole stack of records to its name
already. But the thought of his own car
has burned deep in Fatthauer's mind for
10 years, he wanted to go faster than a
911 ever and the last three years have
been devoted to building something that
looks uncannily like a Porsche but isn't.
“I have worked with Porsches for
years and know which parts work,” he
said. “There was no reason to reinvent
every part, I have taken the very best
from the last three generations and
even some special parts from the racing
programme to create my own supercar.”
Claims of this being simply a
reworked GT3 are deeply unfair. The
crash structure is sourced from the
lightweight road racer but the chassis is
a lengthened version of the GT1 and the
engine starts out as a 996 Turbo block,
before Fatthauer turned it into a fourlitre
with titanium conrods, a brace of
Garrett T35s, Nikasil coated chambers
and forged pistons that could withstand
forces Porsche never even envisaged.
Then there's the PCCB ceramic braking
system, which would have been hard
to beat from a factory in Dortmund, and
the lights, dashboard, seatbelts and
even stereo came straight from the
911.
onestly
the
interior needs work, but this is the prototype
and Jan insists that every one of
the 20 up for grabs will come with a
bespoke, perfectly finished cockpit.
There are other neat touches, too,
including a floor of purest Plywood as
Fatthauer insists he couldn't match the
rigidity or weight of the material with
man-made alternatives. A racing clutch
copes with the 711lb/ft of torque that
courses through its veins, the cooling
system belongs in Iceland and untold
work went into the newly mid-mounted
drivetrain to ensure it didn't end up with
six reverse gear ratios that came from
the 993.
There's that gold-plated air intake,
too. Officially its sole purpose is heat
insulation, but when pressed Fatthauer
admits the costume jewellery under
that Perspex rear might just be there
for visual impact, too.
The open rear is all about the aerodynamics,
it really isn't a half-finished
car. Jan admits, though, the car has
been nowhere near a wind-tunnel and
the aero work was done with ribbons
taped to the car and an aft-facing camera
- which makes the results so far
almost disturbingly impressive.
And for those that have dismissed this
as an epoch-making missile and nothing
more, you're wrong. Jan says he won't
even sell to clients who are only interested
in horsepower and pure speed and
wanted to create the complete, visceral
supercar and he's put serious development
time into conquering the corners.
Light power steering means it can be
placed with the fingertips, despite its
size, and the handling is no more savage
than a track-tuned GT3. It comes with
even more balance, thanks to the midengine
mounting, prodigious grip and a
sure-footed approach at standard speeds.
Go after those last few tenths, or
sneeze, and you'll need the GT2 sourced
traction control that wasn't fitted to this
model and the “very special” LSD. But
dawdling on a trailing throttle round the
Dortmund streets revealed a car that is
composed, simple and, considering its
H&R suspension gives just 10cm of travel,
surprisingly comfortable. It soaks up
bumps and only the biggest Autobahn
expansion joint caused the rubber to part
company with the tarmac. Even then it
was nothing more dramatic than a gentle
skip.
Once the speed record is in the bag
they'll take the car to the Nordschleife
for an assault on the production car
record and Jan is quietly confident. And
even if that doesn't happen, he's got a
back-up plan as he's about to start work
on the hardcore GT9 RS, and the next
car to bear his name.
The SSC Aero might be the fastest
car in the World, but it won't be for
long.
