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With customer deliveries scheduled for 2021, Hennessey Special Vehicles has unveiled the production version of its Venom F5 in conjunction with the company’s 30th anniversary.
“The all-new 100 percent bespoke Venom F5 is built to deliver the world’s most exhilarating all-round driving experience and unparalleled performance,” the company said in its announcement.
With its immense power, low weight and meticulously honed dynamics, the F5 boasts extraordinary handling and a truly visceral experience behind the wheel.”
The news release added that only 24 such cars will be produced, each “unique to its owner,” and each priced at $2.1 million.
The car is powered by Hennessey’s own 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged “Fury” V8, which it says is rated at 1,817 horsepower at 8,000 rpm with 1,193 pound-feet of torque. The car weighs 2,998 pounds and Hennessey says it will accelerate to 62 mph in less than 3 seconds, reach 124 mph in less than 5 seconds and will have a top speed in excess of 500 km/h (311 mph), “and will prove this with a transparent and independently verified top speed run in 2021.”
That high-speed run is scheduled in the first half of 2021 at the NASCAR Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida.
The engine is linked to the rear wheels via a specially designed and longitudinally mounted semi-automatic 7-speed gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The cars will have five drive modes — Sport, Track, Drag, Wet, F5. Only F5 unlocks full available power.
“Our customers love speed, so we’re fired-up to push the boundaries of what’s possible to attempt the world’s fastest production car record, but the Venom F5 is about more than just speed and power,” John Hennessey is quoted in the news release. “This car will handle superbly, quality is exceptional, there are more than 3,000 bespoke parts, materials are exquisite, everything is a fitting tribute to 30 years of the Hennessey brand.”
While the project has been headed by Hennessey, the car’s dynamics have been developed by John Heinricy, long-time racer and former General Motors high-performance vehicles engineer who has done development laps at the Circuit of the Americas and at Hennessey’s own test track in Sealy, Texas.
According to Hennessey, the mission of the F5 was to build a “decathlete for the road.”
“Records are there to be broken and our customers love that we push the boundaries of engineering to develop the world’s fastest cars,” John Hennessey is quoted. “But, with the F5, we wanted to create a true ‘decathlete,’ a car that is about so much more than speed. So, under the guidance of legendary racing driver John Heinricy, our team is focused on producing a driving experience that matches the car’s performance credentials.
“This car goes against the grain of modern hypercars, many of which have become soft and docile. The F5 resets the balance, having been designed from the ground up to be the antithesis of the ‘everyday hypercar’ – it will always be an occasion to drive.”
“Of all the cars I’ve engineered in my career,” Heinricy adds, “the Hennessey Venom F5 is one of, if not the most accomplished, exciting and rewarding cars to work on. With the F5 we started off with a blank sheet of paper. This is such an advantage for vehicle dynamics, as it has allowed me to draw upon the best parts of cars I have worked on throughout my career. It has given me the freedom to design the layout of the car exactly as I wanted it to be and equip it with the best possible componentry.
“Our intensive track and road development will ensure this car handles and performs as impressively as the world’s best hypercars.”
For more information, visit the Hennessey website.
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