In 2014, the Hennessey Venom GT captured the title of fastest production car in the world and to this day, it remains one of the cars at the very top of the list. Early last year, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut took the crown when it was clocked at 330 mph (531.3 km/h), and that has inspired the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer to also push the edge of the envelope.
Welcoming rivals to join in the race
Hennessey Special Vehicles has announced plans to take its 1,817 bhp Venom F5 beyond 300 mph (483 km/h) and stay ahead of other rivals as well. “I love that Koenigsegg is gearing up for big speed, and I hope that Bugatti joins the party too – it’s rivalries like this that fuel our passion, and drive us to go faster, innovate more, and push harder!” said John Hennessey, the company’s founder and CEO, recalling how his hypercar had beaten the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport’s top speed of 268.86 mph (432.9 km/h).
Looking for longer runway
In development, the Venom F5 achieved more than 270 mph (435 km/h), which was done at the former NASA Space Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. Now, the search is on for a runway or public road with a sufficiently long straight to allow the twin-turbo V8 hypercar to rocket beyond 300 mph, and also come to a stop safely.
“Our hypercar has a simulated theoretical top speed of 328 mph (515 km/h), but we’re certainly not chasing that number. Breaking 300 mph in two directions is this year’s goal, while hitting 500 km/h (310.8 mph) in one direction would be the ultimate way of celebrating the internal combustion engine!” said Hennessey.
The renewed push to become the world’s fastest hypercar follows Hennessey’s recent recruitment of former AMG ONE Chief Engineer Brian Jones and the 2023 Pikes Peak record-setting racing driver David Donohue. The pair will work with the Hennessey team to demonstrate what is possible when combining the Venom F5’s bespoke, ultra-lightweight carbonfibre chassis with its V8 ‘Fury’ engine.
