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Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution Coupe coming to a track near you

Hennessey isn’t finished milking the Venom. The Texas performance shop revealed the Venom F5 Coupe in December 2020, the Venom F5 Roadster in August of last year, and is kicking off 2023 with the Venom F5 Revolution Coupe. In Hennessey’s hierarchy of speeds, the original car was engineered to reach the highest production-car top velocity; the Roadster that followed was engineered to provide the most visceral experience; this F5 Revolution was made to master the track. Worked up from the initial F5 Coupe, the F5 Revolution gets the same basic goodies — carbon tub, 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 pound-feet of torque, seven-speed automated single-clutch sequential transmission, carbon ceramic brakes. Hennessey says “the engineering team focused on reducing mass” so that the newest trim is the lightest Venom model and “tips the scales below 3,000 pounds.” However, the the F5 Coupe is already less than 3,000 pounds and company didn’t specify a new weight.

There are plenty of verifiable changes, though. A reshaped carbon fiber front splitter pairs with dive planes at the leading corners. A roof scoop shoves air into the mid-engine bay for enhanced cooling. The stand-up, adjustable carbon rear wing with endplates is claimed to shove more than 800 pounds of downforce on the rear axle at 186 miles per hour and more than 1,400 pounds of downforce at 249 mph. For those keeping track of the high-speed testing, Hennessey said the standard coupe hit 271.6 mph in March at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Ground. This one will be a touch less alacritous because of the appendages, but few owners will reach even 249 mph unless they end up at a Spa-Francorchamps track day.

Internal changes include a new transmission calibration, a more aggressive suspension setup, adjustable dampers, and wider forged alloy wheels making a larger contact patch. An available telemetry package displays and records circuit data including lap times, splits, and G-force.

The cost: $2.7 million, which is $600,000 more than the coupe, $300,000 less than the Roadster. We’re told it’s limited to 24 units, but our Spidey sense tells us that Hennessey calling this the Venom F5 Revolution Coupe points to a Venom F5 Revolution Roadster heading this way at around 250 mph. Anyone in southern Florida next week can see this family member make its debut at the Miami Motorcar Cavalcade Concours d’Elegance on January 15, 2023.

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January 9, 2023 / Comments Off

1,204-hp Hennessey Venom 1200 is the new kingsnake

In 2019, Texas tuner Hennessey Performance did some open heart surgery on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, swapping the supercharger on the Mustang’s 5.2-liter Predator engine for two turbochargers. The result waved a fast goodbye to the GT500’s stock 760 horsepower and 625 pound-feet of torque. Available in two outputs and called the Venom 1000 or Venom 1200, the latter made 1,200 hp at 7,000 rpm and 1,000 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. You know what they say about one good turn, so say hello again to the Venom 1000 and Venom 1200, this time with one (really big) screw instead of two compressors. Hennessey removed the 2.65-liter supercharger from the stock GT500, laying in a 3.8-liter unit. Final specs for the bigger boy are 1,204 hp at 7,600 rpm and 902 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 rpm.

Engineers breathed on the drivetrain from the intake to the exhaust. There’s a new high-flow induction system and intercooler, upgraded belts, fittings, lines, and tensioners, an air/oil separation system and a recalibrated dual-clutch transmission to swallow all that extra oomph. Of course, new anodized billet fuel rails and injectors convey a lot more fuel from tank to nozzle. Speaking of which, the new Venoms can run on pump gas; however, the 1200 will only corral 900 horses on basic premium. They need E85 to get out the whole herd.

The Venom 1200 conversion costs $59,950 on top of the price of a new GT500, a dealer showroom GT500 starting at $80,815 before options and all the rest. The previous Venoms weren’t capped, but the reboots are, Hennessey saying there will be just 66 of them, the number tied to Ford winning the 1966 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Customers who want to make that connection public can check the box for the livery in black, red and white for $4,950. It honors the Ford GT40 Mk II that won the French race. We can’t exactly call these prices a bargain, but they’re a lot less than a similar rework Shelby American’s done to the GT500 and called the Code Red. Going the twin-turbo route, the Code Red makes 1,300 hp and 1,000 lb-ft on E85, or 1,000 hp and 780 lb-ft on pump gas. There are only 30 of them, ten a year for three model years, making them more than twice as exclusive as the Venom 1200. They’re also more than twice as costly, the stewards of Carroll Shelby’s legacy charging $209,995 for the Code Red, which doesn’t include the donor coupe. But the Code Red is sold out, making the Venom 1200 the kingsnake for now.

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October 31, 2022 / Comments Off

“Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme” Exhibit Opens At The Petersen Automotive Museum

The Petersen Automotive Museum recently opened their newest exhibit, Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme. The exhibit will display the fastest, most state-of-the-art, most expensive, and most exclusive cars in the world. Hypercars opened to the public on December 4, and it will remain at the Petersen Automotive Museum for the next 18 months.

There will be around 30 vehicles that will be rotated and each of them definitely embody what hypercars are and why the automotive world is enamored by these speedsters.

Vehicles that will be on display will include the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, Aria FXE concept, Caparo T1, Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, Devel Sixteen, Koenigsegg Agera RS Final Edition, Hennessey Venom F5 (Design Model), NIO EP9, McLaren Speedtail, Pagani Huayra Hermes Edition, Delage D12, Rimac Concept One, and RAESR Tachyon Speed. Two motorcycles that fit the description will also be showcased namely the Lotus C-01 and Aston Martin AMB 001. The Czinger 21C will also be making brief appearances during the 18 months, but it will surely be on the display on the last two weeks of this year.

Petersen Automotive Museum Executive Director Terry L. Karges shared, “We’re excited to host a variety of Hypercars in one exhibit. Audiences already have been enthralled by seeing some of the world’s most astonishing vehicles up-close.”

The Petersen Museum defines a ‘hypercar’ as a vehicle that is in a completely different level in terms of technological advancement, performance, rarity, and of course, the price. The Hypercars exhibit will display projects from both well-established marques as well as smaller startups that have caught the attention of audiences and enthusiasts with their unmatched performance, stunning beauty, and technological breakthroughs.

Hypercars: The Allure of the Extreme is located at the museum lobby and at the Bruce Meyer Family Gallery. The exhibit is scheduled to have two successive parts, the first will be on display until September 22, 2022, while the second part with the second batch of vehicles will be arriving on September 17, 2022 and they will stay until May 14, 2023.

To know more about current and future exhibits at the Petersen Museum, you can visit www.petersen.org.

December 8, 2021 / Comments Off

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30 years of Hennessey

The car that started three decades of making fast cars even faster was a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4, back in 1991 John Hennessey modified his own car to compete in the Pike’s Peak Hill Climb and Nevada Open Road Challenge races, he would later set a class record at the Bonneville Salt Flats and win the Unlimited Class at the Silver State Classic open road race in Nevada that same year.

He also founded Hennessey Performance together with his wife Hope in 1991, with a single principle in mind, too much horsepower is never enough, from building cars for international rock stars and world-famous athletes to claiming countless speed records, including the “World’s Fastest Car” title, the business ethos has always been to seek out the next challenge.

Shortly after founding the company, John Hennessey turned his attention to boosting the performance of the now-iconic Dodge Viper. By 1997 he achieved an important accolade with his 650hp Hennessey Viper Venom GTS being the first to break 200mph. Since 2006, the company’s recently extended 51,000 sq-ft HQ has been next to its own test track enabling the acceleration of its R&D, engineering, and tuning business with cars like the 234mph, twin-turbo 1000hp Ford GT, and 200mph HPE 600 Corvette C7 produced by the experienced team of Hennessey engineers.

By 2010, the business had built its own hypercar, the Hennessey Venom GT. Based on the chassis of a Lotus Exige, the 1244hp monster weighed just 2743lb and was powered by a turbocharged Hennessey V8 that enabled 0-200mph in just 14.51 seconds. The Venom GT set a production car Guinness World Record for the fastest 0-300kph time (13.63 seconds) in 2013, then followed that in 2014 with another world record, becoming the fastest production car in the world with a 270.49mph top speed.

Truck tuning emerged as a new customer-led trend in 2012 with the 600hp Hennessey Velociraptor beginning a generation of ‘hypertrucks’ from 1000hp supercar slayers to 6×6 conversions. Alongside these monsters of the road, the Hennessey team continued its muscle car work with models like its 1000hp ZL1 Camaro – named The Exorcist – raising the profile of the business further still.

Today, alongside producing upwards of 500 customer cars a year, the Hennessey team is focused on the all-new 100% bespoke Hennessey Venom F5 hypercar. This ‘decathlete of hypercars’ boasts 1817hp from its Hennessey-built 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine and targets a top speed exceeding 311mph (500kph).

In its 30^th year, Hennessey sees the launch of the F5 as a rebirth for the brand and the beginning of an exciting new future. Looking ahead, Hennessey plans a series of exciting models, built on the same 100% bespoke basis as the F5

April 8, 2021 / Comments Off

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Hennessey Venom F5’s carbon chassis weighs as much as Steph Curry

CEO and founder of Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) John Hennessey has pegged the famous Quail Motorsports Gathering during the 2020 Monterey Car Week for the debut of the production version of the Venom F5 supercar. Only 24 examples will be built for the world, and each one will cost at least $1.8 million. HPE has already shown the the conceptual shape of the car, as well as its (claimed) 1,800-plus-horsepower engine, and now for the first time, the public gets a glimpse at the car’s skeleton, a carbon-fiber chassis that weighs less than 200 pounds.

As of January 20, 2020, Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has three customer-bound Venom F5 supercars in production, with testing scheduled to begin in the second quarter of the year. Under the skin of each will be this structure, an all-new clean-sheet chassis made up entirely of carbon fiber weave impregnated with polymers. The entire thing only weighs 189.6 lbs, or about the listed weight for NBA superstar Steph Curry, and Hennessey claims its torsional rigidity is approximately 38,353 lb-ft of torque per degree. It’ll need every bit of strength for what HPE has in mind for the supercar.

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The initial goal with the Venom F5 was to break 300 mph, but during the time the car has been in development, Bugatti went ahead and broke that mark by hitting 304 mph in a Chiron. Not one to be outdone, Mr. Hennessey now says he wants his creation to reach at least 310.7 mph, which equals a nice, round 500 kph.

In order to do this, the car needed something bigger and badder than the 1,600-plus-horsepower engine shown back in 2017. Powering the current Venom F5 is a bespoke Hennessey Specialty Vehicles twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 with custom lightweight internals and 3D-printed titanium compressor housings. Hennessey says it makes 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 lb-ft of torque, and it has been dubbed Fury.

When the car is complete, 12 will be sold to the American market, and the other 12 will go to international clients. Lucky for interested parties, Hennessey says there are still open slots for U.S. customers. Once the initial run of F5 coupes is distributed, Hennessey will likely shift its focus to altering the chassis you see here to accommodate the demands of a Venom F5 Roadster.

Oh, one last thing: Turn the volume down before watching that video above or your ears might start bleeding.

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January 20, 2020 / Comments Off

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Hennessey Venom F5 engine officially makes over 1,800 horsepower

Details on the Hennessey Venom F5 hypercar have been trickling out of the Texas-based company, and they seem to change every time we hear about it. But hopefully things are becoming more concrete, because Hennessey revealed it has finally dyno-tested the engine slated for the car and have final numbers.

It makes 1,817 horsepower at a screaming 8,000 rpm and 1,193 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. It also apparently will make at least 1,000 pound-feet of torque from 2,000 to 8,000 rpm. Redline is 8,200 rpm. It’s worth noting that these numbers put the Venom over 200 horsepower ahead of the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, Koenigsegg Jesko, and Hennessey’s original power goal. The engine revs 1,000 rpm higher than the original prototype, too. This is all good news considering Hennessey wants to break the 300 mph barrier like Bugatti has and Koenigsegg aims to do.

Just as the Venom F5’s power isn’t what was previously announced, the engine itself has changed since we last saw it. When it was shown at The Quail last year, it was all-aluminum and had a displacement of 7.6 liters. Displacement has dropped down to 6.6 liters, and the engine block changed from aluminum to forged steel. But as with the prototype, it’s twin-turbocharged, uses pushrods instead of overhead cams, and the heads, intake manifold and pistons are all still aluminum. The engine has a name, now, too: Fury.

Hennessey also announced it will begin testing the whole car later this year. The company will build 24 examples total, each with a price of about $1.6 million. Provided that all goes well with the regular Venom F5, the company has plans for a roadster variant to come afterward.

October 1, 2019 / Comments Off

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Hennessey’s HPE1000 Corvette vs. a Ferrari 488 GTB in a Rolling Drag Race

Yes, the Chevy Wins

This hardly seems like a fair race. Hennessey took the ZR1 Corvette and boosted horsepower to 1,000 and then pitted it up against the Ferrari 488 GTB. It’s clear from the start which car would win. The Ferrari is at a major displacement deficit and down on power. It was bone stock. With that said, it’s still fun to watch in the video below.

With all of the buzz out there about the new 2020 mid-engine Corvette, Hennessey had to remind people about how insane the C7 Corvette actually is. Also, the Ferrari 488 GTB while down on power compared to the heavily modified Chevy honestly performed very well. The car has a 3.9-liter V8 engine that produces 661 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque. That’s down considerably from the HPE1000 Corvette’s 1,000 hp and 966 lb-ft of torque.

Despite the Ferrari being far down in terms of power and displacement, the car performs admirably. The HPE100 should blow it away, and it does by the end of the strip, but for a split second when they first cross the cones, the Ferrari looks like it’s going to hold on. Then the Corvette begins to stretch its legs and its all over. It’s a short and entertaining video. We highly suggest you check it out.

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July 25, 2019 / Comments Off

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2019 Chevy Corvette ZR1 from Hennessey makes 1,200 horsepower

The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is the ultimate Corvette, and now that Chevy is going the mid-engine route, it will forever be the best traditional front-engine Vette you can buy. If you thought 755 horsepower and 715 pound-feet of torque would be enough to keep Hennessey from wanting more, you’re sadly mistaken.

These guys tend to be on the extreme side of power, and they’ve managed to extract 1,200(!) horsepower and 1,066 pound-feet of torque out of the Vette’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8. This one is called the HPE1200, and it’s one of three versions of the ZR1 you can upgrade to. The other two are called the HPE850 and HPE1000, with 850 and 1,000 horsepower respectively.

If you decide to go with the 1,200-horsepower monster Corvette, you should know that it requires race fuel to get all 1,200 ponies. You’ll still get 1,100 horsepower running on 93 octane, though. Hennessey does a whole lot of modifications to get the ZR1 up to this power output. They use a ported factory supercharger, lower and upper pulley upgrades, a custom camshaft, ported cylinder heads, upgraded intake and exhaust valves, better valve springs and retainers and a billet high-flow throttle body. All the exhaust gases get pushed out through stainless steel headers and high-flow catalytic converters. Hennessey upgrades the optional automatic transmission to handle the power, but says the stock manual seven-speed doesn’t require any changes. There are no suspension or braking changes, but it’s not as though the ZR1 is lacking in these areas. Lastly, your stupid fast ZR1 gets a 3-year 36,000-mile warranty direct from Hennessey.

Hennessey doesn’t quote acceleration numbers for the 1,200-horsepower car, but the HPE1000 is rated for 0-60 mph in 2.3 seconds with the optional drag radials. It does the quarter mile in 9.4 seconds at 147 mph with those same tires. Top speed is a ridiculous 230 mph. The 1,000-horsepower ZR1 has almost all the same upgrades as the HPE1200, but drops the ported supercharger, high flow throttle body and race fuel capability. The HPE850 is mostly just bolt-ons, with no internal engine modifications to speak of.

Pricing and timing is available upon request from Hennessey.

April 24, 2019 / Comments Off

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Watch the HPE800 Ferrari F12 by Hennessey Performance At the Track

They Call This Validation Testing

Hennessey Performance recently posted a video of its HPE800 Ferrari F12 testing on a racetrack, and it’s pure elegance and madness all at once. The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta is no typical car, and after Hennessey gets its hands on it, the car is an 800 hp pissed off beautiful Italian creation.

In its standard form, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta has a 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V12 that makes 730 hp and 509 lb-ft of torque. After the tuner company takes it into its garage and has its way with it, the car comes out with 800 hp and beautifully angry exhaust note.

Hennessey doesn’t have a whole lot of information about the car on its website at this time. The video description that accompanies the video below simply listed the company’s main website instead of a specific page for the car. All we do know is that it will make 800 hp and look darn good doing it.

This seems like the best way to forget about the Ferrari 812 Superfast. That particular car comes with 789 hp from the factory and this model beats that out. Suddenly, the Superfast doesn’t look so super fast.

Hennessey has several other projects in the works right now judging from the company’s news page on its website. It’s safe to assume the tuner company will keep putting out amazing cars. Watch the video below to see what we mean.

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April 3, 2019 / Comments Off

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Hennessey gives 2019 McLaren 600LT up to 1,000 horsepower

Last summer, McLaren launched the 600LT as a a vehicle for people that a bit more performance than what’s offered by the 570 line. It’s significantly lighter, and has a few more horsepower. But if that’s still not enough, Hennessey Performance is offering a range of upgrade packages ranging from 708 to a whopping 1,001 horsepower.

Each package is basically the same as those available for the 570 models, but with 600LT adaptations, such as having the exhaust exit through the top of the engine cover. The HPE 700 package adds high-flow air filters, an ECU tune and stainless exhaust to hit 708 horsepower and 635 pound-feet of torque. The HPE 800 package adds a more potent turbo and upgraded intercooler system to hit 805 horsepower and 722 pound-feet of torque.

The HPE 1000 package is the most extreme, and swaps the single factory turbo for twin turbochargers and an aftermarket Motec ECU. It also features stainless exhaust manifolds and an unspecified transmission upgrade. Output is 1,001 horsepower and 865 pound-feet of torque. The company says this version should hit 60 mph in 2.1 seconds and complete the quarter-mile in 9.6 seconds.

The various packages will be available soon. The HPE 700 package is the cheapest at $17,950, followed by the HPE 800 at $34,950. The HPE 1000 package tops the charts at $99,500. Naturally, all of these prices are for the parts and installation only, and you’ll still have to supply the car.

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February 11, 2019 / Comments Off

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John Hennessey aiming to take Venom F5 to 311 mph

John Hennessey has said that “We believe our car is capable of going well beyond 300 mph” when speaking of his Venom F5, and we thought 301 miles per hour was his target. Turns out it’s not – what he means is 310.6856 mph — or a nice, round 500 kilometers per hour. Eleven extra ticks might not seem like much when you’re already doing 300, but every additional mile per hour is another battle.

Hennessey’s already said the Venom F5 has a drag coefficient of 0.33. Using that figure and the calculator at Wallace Racing to work out horsepower needed for a given speed, a 3,000-pound car with a frontal area of 20 square feet would need 1,216.51 hp just to move air out of the way. That doesn’t include overcoming rolling resistance or other factors. To go 311 mph, the same car would need 1,355.29 hp. That’s 139 additional ponies, more power than found in many small cars on sale today. Hennessey’s numbers guys figure the Venom F5 will need 1,520 hp to do 300 mph, so they’re looking at another couple hundred horses to hit 311.

Not that it should be a problem. During Pebble Beach we were told that 7.6-liter twin-turbo, pushrod V8 is currently rated at 1,600 hp at 7,200 rpm, and the company plans to hold that redline. Previously, though, the tuner said the motor’s been turned up beyond 2,000 hp.

The Texas firm will begin testing prototypes sometime in 2019, with high-speed validation runs expected to commence toward the end of that year. The first effort will focus on breaking 300 mph, then, “After we break 300 we’ll see how much faster we can go.” Assuming that happens, the 311-mph run might require changes beyond a horsepower hike, such as aero modifications, but eventual customer cars will be outfitted to the same spec as the 300-mph car.

On top of that, Hennessey has plans for an internal-combustion-engined car that could hold its own in a drag race with the coming, second-gen Tesla Roadster. He told Motor Authority that “[If] Dodge can make a 4,000-pound Demon go 0-60 in 2.3 seconds,” he’s confident about getting “a tire on the F5 … that will be running in the high 1-second range, 1.8, 1.9 second range….”

And remember, the SSC Tuatara is out there, too, with its 1,750-hp engine. After Jerrod Shelby said his coupe is the only one with a real shot at 300 mph, we figure he’ll be out to break any mark Hennessey sets. The next two years should prove interesting in the top speed wars.

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September 29, 2018 / Comments Off

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Hennessey Goliath 6×6

The team at Hennessy took a 2019 Chevy Silverado Trail Boss Z71 and injected growth hormones into the gas tank. At least, that’s how we think they fabricated this monster. The Hennessey Goliath 6×6 is…

Hennessey F5 reveals 1,600-hp billet-aluminum twin-turbo V8

CARMEL, Calif. — We’ve heard a lot about the powertrain that will propel the Hennessey F5 supercar to its proposed 301-mph top speed. But each time we’ve heard about it, the details have been a little fuzzy. The only truly concrete details have been that it will have at least 1,600 horsepower, it will be unique, and it will be a V8. Well the details are more finalized now, since Hennessey showed the engine at The Quail Motorsports Gathering.

The engine is all-aluminum with cast aluminum heads, and a machined billet aluminum engine block. The result is a powerplant with a rather unique finish, and it features Hennessey and F5 logos machine-etched into the block. The block is reinforced with steel cylinder sleeves. The pistons are forged, too. It’s also an old-school pushrod design, rather than using double overhead cams. According to John Hennessey, the reason is mainly for packaging, as the pushrod design results in a small, light engine. Augmenting the relatively small external size is a dry-sump oil system.

Despite its physical size, the engine has a massive displacement of 7.6 liters, which falls between the two numbers that had been previously reported for the engine. Feeding the engine all the air it can consume are two large turbochargers at the ends of tubular stainless steel headers that provide 22 to 24 psi maximum. Current output is at least 1,600 horsepower at 7,200 rpm and 1,300 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm. John Hennessey says the engine could probably rev higher, but they’ll likely set the rev limiter at the 7,200 rpm mark.

Even with the engine finally revealed, not all of the specs are final. Hennessey told us that the output could be increased if more is needed to hit the 301-mph top speed. He did say that this is the baseline, though. He also reiterated that, while it won’t be made to be a lightning-fast track car, the company is still aiming for a sub-7-minute lap time at the Nürburgring. Hennessey will also build 24 examples, and 15 people have ordered it. The company has previously said the car will cost $1.6 million.

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August 24, 2018 / Comments Off

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2018 Hennessey Jeep Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged

From sports cars to trucks and everything in between, Hennessey Performance is one of the greatest names in aftermarket upgrades. By adding bolt-on parts such as air intake and induction kits, computer programmers, special exhausts, twin turbo setups, and more, they boost your ride’s horsepower considerably. And now, they’ve got an upgrade package for the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

Raising the SUVs already massive 707 ponies to 1,012-hp and upping the torque at 969 lb-ft, the Hennessey Jeep Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged goes from 0-60 mph in a mind-blowing 2.8 seconds. Now, this is incredibly fast for a vehicle that weighs 2.4 tonnes and can tow 7,200 pounds!

And it’s all thanks to the Hellcat supercharged 6.2L V8 Hemi engine being paired with a 4.5L supercharger and a high-flow air induction, plus upgrades at the fuel injectors, factory fuel pump, chassis dyno calibration, and other tricks that make this fast tank even faster.

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April 18, 2018 / Comments Off

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Hennessey planning Venom F5 speed record assault

New details are emerging from Geneva about Hennessey‘s ambitions to claim the record for world’s fastest car, including the V8 powertrain that will drive the upcoming Hennessey Venom F5 toward its promised 301 mph top speed benchmark.

Founder and CEO John Hennessey told “Top Gear” the hypercar will have “a completely bespoke, 8.0-liter twin-turbo V8” that will hit no less than 1,600 bhp, which equates to around 1,622 horsepower. But he said he’s contemplating slapping on a couple more turbos and expects to decide before the Pebble Beach Concours in August.

Hennessy first revealed the supercar at the SEMA show last November. There, John Hennessey told Autoblog that he wasn’t necessarily aiming to set a record at the Nürburgring, just to do a lap in under seven minutes, a feat notched by cars like the Lamborghini Huracán Performante and the Porsche 918 Spyder. He also talked about how the car’s design was meant to look like a peregrine falcon. But at the time, the V8 engine specs were still being kept under wraps.

Hennessy unofficially had the title of world’s fastest car in 2014 after the 1,451-hp Venom GT hit 270.49 mph. That’s of course since been eclipsed by rival Koenigsegg, which raced an Agera RS helmed by Swedish race driver Niklas Lilja to an official top speed of 277.87 mph on a closed highway in Nevada in November. When it comes time, Hennessey told “Top Gear“ he may make the attempt in Texas, or return to the same road in Nevada traveled by the Agera RS.

But he insists the Venom F5 will be more than just a straight-line track monster. “Could we build a high-downforce version with the massive splitter and massive wing and lots of downforce? Maybe we’ll do that later,” he said. “For now, [the F5 is] a proper road car that can be driven at crazy speeds in a straight line but still go around turns and stop.”

The company plans to make just 24 examples of the Venom F5 and sell them at $1.6 million apiece.

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March 7, 2018 / Comments Off

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Hennessey provides a peek at the Venom F5 hypercar’s interior

Hennessey Performance recently unveiled its upcoming Venom F5 hypercar, along with some impressive projected performance figures, including a claimed 301 mph top speed. But the unveiling only showed the exterior of the car. That will change on November 21 when the car’s insides are revealed, and the company also provided a peek at the steering wheel ahead of the debut.

What we can see is that the car has copious amounts of carbon fiber. The wheel appears to be made of carbon fiber, the dashboard is made of it, and it appears the LCD instrument panel is surrounded by it. Anything that isn’t made of exposed carbon fiber seems to be wrapped in leather or Alcantara.

The steering wheel is just covered in buttons, too, and even some toggle switches. Some of them are for usual car fare, such as the horn and turn signals, but there are some more exotic ones. There’s a button labeled “boost”, for example. It will be interesting to see if that’s for an overboost function for more pressure from the turbo for a short time. The gear selector even migrates to the steering wheel, appearing as a twist knob on the lower left of the wheel center.

We’re looking forward to seeing the full interior reveal on the 21st, but we’ll be looking forward even more to the final powertrain reveal. Though the company has announced the car will hit a top speed of 301 mph and have an original V8 design, John Hennessey has said that final powertrain details aren’t nailed down yet, and has left the door open for the engine having more than two turbos. The final car should start reaching customers around 2019 or 2020.

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November 20, 2017 / Comments Off

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John Hennessey talks to us about the Hennessey F5

A this year’s SEMA show, Hennessey revealed the new F5 hypercar. While it is still being developed, the company already claims some impressive stats. The engine is slated to produce 1,600 horsepower and the company claims the car can reach 301 mph – and if it can deliver, this will be an impressive machine. We had the opportunity to talk with John Hennessey, the man behind Hennessey Special Vehicles and Hennessey Performance, to learn a little bit more about the car.

Hennessey told us that the company wants the F5 to be good road and track vehicle, but that it’s not aiming to set a record at the Nürburgring. That being said, the company would like the car to do a lap in under seven minutes. He doesn’t mind if there are other cars faster in that time bracket, just that the F5 will be under that seven-minute threshold. If the F5 can reach that time, it’ll be in the rarified company of cars like the Lamborghini Huracán Performante, Porsche 918 Spyder, and Radical SR8LM.

Whether the F5 can hit these performance targets will depend on V8 in the middle, the spec of which is not currently finalized. Hennessey says that it is a fully original engine not based on any existing one, such as the LS-based unit in the Venom GT. He didn’t share any details about the powertrain, other than that it will be a V8 configuration. He did mention that it will probably have twin turbochargers, but that it might have more. Final powertrain details will depend in part on what his customers are looking for.

Speaking of customer demand, Hennessey told us that feedback is what prompted the move to build a completely original car from engine to exterior. A couple of his friends told him he should really build something fresh, and he took the advice. Interestingly, for developing a completely new car bearing his name, Hennessey didn’t have many hard requirements for the way the car looked. He suggested to his designer, whom Hennessey wouldn’t reveal, that it should look like a fast animal, like a peregrine falcon, and that provided the inspiration for the exterior. The other hard requirements were that the exterior would allow for an eye-watering top speed, and that the car should have distinct headlights. As Hennessey told us, he feels that headlights are like a person’s eyes and important for the car’s identity. But again, he didn’t have a specific look in mind, it just had to be distinctive. He does like the concept’s current lights that have an “F” motif – like the name of the car.

Hennessey had one more interesting tidbit regarding design. One of the goals was to have substantially less drag than the 0.44 Cd of the Venom GT. The company has achieved that at 0.33 Cd, but apparently the design team managed to create a version that went all the way down to 0.31. The problem was that it had some pretty absurd and impractical spoilers and overhangs, according to Hennessey. So those aspects were dialed back to improve the looks, and the company still hit the 0.33 Cd mark.

Finally, Hennessey said the company is aiming for production and deliveries around 2019 or 2020. As previously mentioned, the car is set to retail at $1.6 million, and 24 examples will be sold.

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November 1, 2017 / Comments Off

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301 mph, 1,600 hp: Hennessey Venom F5 details emerge

Hennessy Special Vehicles is unveiling its much-awaited Venom F5 hypercar today at the SEMA Show (along with a cool new video that fans of early Aerosmith will dig, below), and the beast dubbed “America’s Hypercar” is making big promises. Hennessey teased the stunner a couple weeks ago, saying its intent was to take on the Bugatti Chiron for the title of world’s fastest car.

Now we have more details to go on for the F5. Its twin-turbo, 7.4-liter aluminum V8 produces an astounding 1,600 horsepower and 1,300 pound-feet of torque, giving it a top speed of 301 miles per hour. Acceleration will be quick: from 0 to 186 mph in less than 10 seconds and 0 to 249 and back to rest in less than 30 seconds, though independent performance tests of course will have to bear out those claims. The engine is mated to a seven-speed single-clutch paddle-shift transmission that drives the rear wheels. Unlike the car it replaces, the Venom GT, which was built atop a Lotus Elise platform, the Venom F5 gets an all-new, lightweight chassis and carbon-fiber body, giving it a curb weight of just 2,950 pounds.

“We’ve designed F5 to be timeless so that in 25 years it will still have a level of performance and design that will be unmatched,” CEO John Hennessey said in a statement. “The F5 is an all new car, designed and built from the ground up, from the engine to the chassis. We expect the Venom F5, named for the most powerful tornado speed winds on the Fujita scale, to be the first road car capable of achieving more than 300 mph and have worked closely with Pennzoil to get us across the finish line.”

The Venom GT, which had a 1,451-horsepower twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8, was unofficially dubbed the world’s fastest car in 2014, having hit 270.49 mph, though Bugatti plans to challenge that next year in the Chiron.

Base price will be a cool $1.6 million, with just 24 units to be built. And according to “Top Gear,” John Hennessey himself will hand-pick its recipients, with first deliveries starting in 2019.

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November 1, 2017 / Comments Off

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Hennessey’s Venom F5 hypercar teased for Nov. 1 reveal at SEMA

Hennessey has announced plans to reveal the production version of its long-awaited Venom F5 supercar Nov. 1 at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, and released new images and a video of the hypercar expected to boast a top speed of nearly 300 mph. The F5 is the performance shop’s bid to be the fastest road car in the world, taking direct aim at the Bugatti Chiron.

To be built and sold under new company Hennessey Special Vehicles, the F5 promises cutting-edge technology in design, engine development and chassis, with an all-new, original chassis and body. It will build the car at its headquarters in Sealy, Texas, near Houston.

Hennessey first revealed renderings for the F5 three years ago. It released updated teaser images in June and announced plans to put the car into production, with founder and CEO John Hennessey describing the project as “sophisticated aggression on wheels.”

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The F5 name derives from the rating assigned to tornadoes boasting wind speeds of between 261 and 318 miles per hour, the top rating on the Fujita scale. It replaces the Venom GT, a supercar powered by a 1,451-horsepower, twin-turbo 7.0-liter V8 engine with a top speed of 270.4 mph and a 0-60 time of 2.4 seconds. Just 12 models were ever produced, with the final version selling for a cool $1.2 million.

The F5, Hennessey says, will surpass the GT’s horsepower, have a top speed exceeding 290 mph, plus improved aerodynamics and ultra-light weight to boost performance.

The new images show a wing-shaped rear spoiler and a tri-exhaust tailpipe configuration that evokes a honeycomb or Olympic rings. The company plans to livestream the unveiling, which takes place at 11 a.m. PST Nov. 1, on its Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels.

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October 20, 2017 / Comments Off

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