In an effort to surpass their previous record, Hennessey Special Vehicles, a hypercar maker located in Texas, has revealed ambitions for their latest model, the 1,817bhp Venom F5, to reach speeds over 300mph by 2024. This revelation coincides with the anniversary of the company’s Venom GT achieving the title of world’s fastest car back in February 2014.
In 2024, the Hennessey Venom GT will celebrate a decade since it set a verified world record of reaching 270.49mph, making it the fastest production car at that time. Even now, the Venom GT holds the title of the world’s fastest manual transmission car. This remarkable accomplishment by Hennessey surpassed Bugatti Veyron Super Sport’s previous record of 268.86mph and solidified its giant-slaying reputation.
After successfully delivering 22 customer Venom F5 hypercars and growing its engineering team, the company is now determined to reach the V-max of ‘America’s Hypercar’. During its development, the Venom F5 reached speeds exceeding 270mph at the former NASA Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. The focus now shifts to finding a suitable runway or public road with a long enough stretch for the 1,817bhp twin-turbo V8 beast to surpass 300mph and safely come to a stop.
As the founder and CEO of the company, John Hennessey is thrilled to see Koenigsegg preparing for high speeds. He also hopes that Bugatti will join in on the competition, as it ignites their passion and motivates them to continuously improve and increase speed. With 22 customer cars already delivered and an expanded engineering team, they are now able to refocus and concentrate on maximizing the potential of the Venom F5.
Our hypercar boasts a simulated theoretical top speed of 328mph, but we’re not solely focused on that figure. Our goal for this year is to reach speeds over 300mph in both directions, with the ultimate celebration being hitting 500km/h (310.8mph) in one direction, paying tribute to the strength of the internal combustion engine.
Hennessey’s drive to claim the title of the world’s fastest hypercar has been reignited with the addition of former AMG ONE Chief Engineer Brian Jones and 2023 Pikes Peak record holder David Donohue to their team. Together, they will showcase the full potential of the Venom F5 by skillfully merging its specialized, lightweight carbon chassis with its powerful 1,187bhp twin-turbo V8 ‘Fury’ engine.
According to Brian Jones, the Hennessey VP of Engineering, the Venom F5 showcases the epitome of combustion with its impressive combination of 1,817bhp twin-turbocharged V8 engine and a lightweight mass of 2,998lbs (1,360kg), resulting in unparalleled acceleration capabilities. With full confidence in our power capabilities, our team will focus on refining power distribution and aerodynamics to reach our desired top speed.
In 2023, David Donohue, an accomplished American racing champion, will serve as the test driver for Hennessey’s hypercar and will be responsible for all high-speed testing and record runs. With over 30 years of racing experience under his belt, Donohue brings a wealth of knowledge to Hennessey after previously securing top positions at prestigious events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the North American Touring Car Championship, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Most recently, he set a new record at Pikes Peak in 2023.
