Shelby Supercars has revealed the name of the car it hopes will become the fastest production car in the world: the SSC Tuatara.

The Tuatara is the second hypercar from the American manufacturer, and marks a revolutionary advancement over the SSC Ultimate Aero TT.

The 792kW/1357Nm Ultimate Aero TT set the record for the fastest production car in September 2007. Its speed of 412km/h (256mph) eclipsed the previous record, which was held by the Bugatti Veyron.

The French manufacturer returned fire in June last year with the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which shattered the SSC at a blistering 431km/h (268mph).

Reports suggest Shelby Supercars is aiming to reach 275mph (443km/h) with the 993kW 7.0-litre twin-turbo V8-powered Tuatara.

Shelby Supercars is yet to announce when the Tuatara will hit the road, although some have suggested it could be planning a record-breaking run before the end of the year.

The Tuatara name is inspired by a reptile from New Zealand, which is a direct descendent of the dinosaurs. Translated directly from Maori it means ‘peaks on the back’ – fitting given the aerodynamic winglets at the rear.

The Tuatara also has the fastest evolving DNA in the world, a trait that SSC founder Jerod Shelby believes his company shares.

“Most manufacturers essentially use the same basic model and body shape for up to 10 years, while only making small refinements to it each year,” Mr Shelby said.

“After only three years in production with the Ultimate Aero, SSC’s Tuatara is about to monumentally evolve in the areas of sophistication, design, aerodynamics and shear all‐around performance. We felt that the fastest evolving DNA was a perfect definition of SSC’s latest project.”

Expect more details of the SSC Tuatara to be revealed in the coming months.

Until then, let us know what you think of the name and the design.