It’s been a little over three years since Hennessey introduced the Venom F5 as a concept at the SEMA show, and the moment has finally come to see the production version. The teasers released so far have revealed a different paint job and a new look for the wheels, but we’re curious to see what the Texas-based company has changed beyond the visual tweaks.
Much like another North American boutique car company, SSC North America, Hennessey is promising to break the 300-mph barrier and make the Venom F5 the world’s fastest production car. The Venom GT’s successor has been a long time coming, so we’re hoping to learn today about a planned top speed run. Ideally, everything will be organized properly in order to avoid the controversy that has plagued the Tuatara.
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The heart and soul of the Venom F5 is a bespoke twin-turbo 6.6-liter V8 engine rightfully called the “Fury.” It produces a meaty 1,817 horsepower (1,354 kilowatts) and 1,193 pound-feet (1,617 Newton-meters) of torque. “Based on the classic American V8 architecture,” the engine already develops over 1,000 lb-ft (1,356 Nm) at 2,000 rpm in a hypercar that promises to have a stiffer chassis than that of the mighty Bugatti Chiron.
The tuner-turned-builder says “significant exterior changes” have been implemented compared to the original concept car to enhance aerodynamics and benefit from carbon fiber. An “aerospace-inspired interior” has also been promised for the road-going Venom F5, which will be strictly limited to 24 units. Half of them are destined to remain in the United States and have already been sold, while the remaining 12 are earmarked for international markets.
Hennessey pledges its hypercar has been developed to reach a top speed of more than 310 mph (500 km/h). To become the undisputed speed king, it needs to average more than the 277.87 mph (447.19 km/h) achieved by the Koenigsegg Agera RS. The Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ was faster, but it didn’t do the run in opposite directions, so its record technically doesn’t count, at least not per Guinness regulations. The Tuatara was also faster, but people have serious doubts about the attempt’s legitimacy, prompting SSC to redo the run (at some point).
$1.8 million is a lot to ask when you’re not a company that has the prestige of other small hypercar marques such as Koenigsegg and Pagani. However, if the Venom F5 does indeed become the fastest road-legal production car, selling the remaining cars probably won’t be much of an issue for Hennessey. It all comes down to the car’s capabilities in terms of absolute top speed as people will forget the Venom F5 if it can’t hit the long-promised velocity.