Hennessey Performance plans to grab the title of world’s “fastest production vehicle” with its new Venom F5, which it claims will do speeds “in excess of 500 km/h”.
The production version of the rear-driven Venom F5 will be priced from $2,1-million (that’s around R31-million), with just 24 units set to be built.
The rear-mid-mounted, twin-turbocharged 6,6-litre V8 engine (which the American company has christened “Fury”) delivers 1 355 kW at 8 000 r/min and 1 617 N.m at 5 500 r/min. The 90-degree push-rod cross-plane crank V8 engine is mated to a longitudinally-mounted, semi-automatic, single-clutch, seven-speed gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
With a claimed weight of just 1 360 kg thanks in part to the carbon-fibre monocoque, Hennessey says the 0-100 km/h sprint will take “less than three seconds”, with the 200 km/h mark reached in “under five seconds”.
The company says it will prove the F5’s top speed “with a transparent and independently verified top speed run in 2021”.
In October 2020, SSC reclaimed the title of world’s “fastest production vehicle,” with the 1 305 kW Tuatara registering an average speed of 508,73 km/h.
Expect the Venom F5’s top speed test to take place in the first half of 2021 at the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. Hennessey says the F5 will exceed 500 km/h on a two-way validated speed run using a “production specification car”.
“The record attempt will be independently verified by the world-renowned experts from Racelogic using VBOX GPS data acquisition systems. Racelogic/VBOX engineers will be on site to install, test and calibrate the speed testing equipment in the F5 to ensure absolute accuracy and transparency,” the firm said.
“In addition, VBOX engineers will verify all test data and final speed numbers. The speed test will be attended by independent witnesses, media guests and F5 customers. GPS data and uninterrupted video footage will also be made publicly available following the speed test,” Hennessey added.
While Hennessey says the transmission’s top ratio has a “theoretical top speed of 534 kph”, it points out it’s there to simply allow “sufficient scope to pass the 500 km/h target”.
“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,” said company founder and CEO, John Hennessey.
“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.”