By Kim Chisnall
A Californian supercar company has announced that its latest model will be called the Tuatara – a reference to the speedy evolution of the New Zealand reptile rather than its physical prowess.
Shelby Supercars say the name is a good choice for their 1350 horsepower carbon fibre car, which is expected to reach speeds of over 430km/h and may be the fastest production car in the world.
Shelby founder Jerod Shelby says the company were searching for a new with “a powerful and exotic ring to it”, and insists the tuatara is fast in its own way, with the fastest evolving molecular structure of any animal.
Scientists discovered in 2008 that tuatara DNA has evolved faster than any other animal species studied so far.
The car’s promotional video explains ‘tuatara’ means ‘peaks on the back’ in Maori, and the car mimics that with the shape of its winglets.
Auckland Zoo’s New Zealand fauna keeper Michelle Whybrow says the publicity won’t do the tuatara any harm.
“The more people that know about our amazing animals, not just New Zealanders but overseas, the better,” she says.
The Tuatara supercar will retail for around NZD $1 million, and Shelby is expected to make just a dozen of them.
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