SSC Ultimate Aero II

Top Gear has let loose another batch of pics showcasing the SSC Ultimate Aero II. In addition to the tantalizing imagery, we get some facts and figures. For starters, this new Ultimate Aero is powered by a 6.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 that can scream up to a 9,000 rpm redline. Power? 1,350 horses, every last drop of which will be needed to hit the targeted top speed of 275 mph. Obviously, this rocketship won't be available for short money; it's going to cost $970,000.

SSC aims to recapture the production car speed record it initially took away from Bugatti, which responded this year by building the Veryron Supersport just to get it back. Shelby Supercars believes the Ultimate Aero II will once again allow it to take back the speed crown.

SSC team isn't simply relying on monster power and a slick Jason Castriota-styled exterior. In a nod to Colin Chapman, the new Aero weighs much less than a Veyron thanks to a handful of engineering feats. The wheels are the world's first one-piece carbon-fiber units and tip the scale at just under 13 pounds. In fact, there's carbon-fiber all over the Ultimate Aero II, with the exception of some aluminum bracing for added safety in the event of a crash. Overall, the car weighs about 2,600 pounds, giving it a power-to-weight ratio nearly double that of the Bugatti Veyron. Those specs pretty much say that it isn't so much a question of whether the SSC Ultimate Aero II car will set a record, only when it'll finally happen.