PRESS RELEASE
02/20/2024
RELEASED
Sealy, Texas
February 20, 2024
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Sealy, Texas (February 20, 2024) – Hennessey Special Vehicles, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer, has set out plans for its 1,817bhp Venom F5 to exceed 300mph in 2024. The announcement was timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the company’s Venom GT becoming the world’s fastest car in February 2014.
2024 marks the tenth anniversary of the Hennessey Venom GT achieving a verified world record 270.49mph top speed to become the fastest production car ever. To this day, the Venom GT remains the world’s fastest manual transmission car. The giant-slaying feat saw Hennessey exceed the previous record of 268.86mph held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.
Now, having delivered 22 customer Venom F5 hypercars, and expanded its engineering team, the company is set to push towards the V-max of ‘America’s Hypercar’. In development, the Venom F5 achieved more than 270mph at the former NASA Shuttle Landing Facility at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Now, the search is on for a runway or public road with a sufficiently long strait to allow the 1,817bhp twin-turbo V8 monster to accelerate beyond 300mph and return to zero safely.
John Hennessey, company founder and CEO: “I love that Koenigsegg is gearing up for big speed, 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! With 22 customer cars delivered and a newly expanded engineering team, we’re well placed to refocus our attention on enabling the Venom F5 to deliver on its potential.
“Our hypercar has a simulated theoretical top speed of 328mph, but we’re certainly not chasing that number. Breaking 300mph in two directions is this year’s goal, while hitting 500km/h (310.8mph) in one direction would be the ultimate way of celebrating the internal combustion engine!”
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 bespoke, ultra-lightweight carbon chassis with the 1,187bhp twin-turbocharged V8 ‘Fury’ engine.
Brian Jones, Hennessey VP of Engineering: “I consider the Venom F5 a perfect demonstration of ‘peak combustion’ – it blends 1,817bhp of twin-turbocharged V8 power with just 2998lbs (1360kg) of mass to deliver extreme acceleration capabilities. We know for sure we have the power to achieve our goals, so our team will work to optimise power delivery and aerodynamics as we push for top speed.”
American racing champion David Donohue will conduct all high-speed testing and record runs having joined Hennessey in 2023 as its hypercar test driver. The 2023 Pikes Peak record-setter brought more than three decades of racing experience to Hennessey, including first-place wins at 24 Hours of Le Mans, the North American Touring Car Championship, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
While all 24 Venom F5 Coupes sold out in 2021, Hennessey still has a limited selection of build slots available for other open-top and track-focused variants of the Venom F5. Prospective clients may inquire by calling the Hennessey Special Vehicles sales team at +1 979.885.1300 or visiting HennesseySpecialVehicles.com.
Michael Harley
Jon Visscher
SPECIFICATIONS - AT A GLANCE
MAX HORSEPOWER
700 HP
Axles
6X6
WHEELS
20"
TIRES
37"
WARRANTY
3 YEAR / 36,000 MILE
BUMPERS
FRONT AND REAR
UPGRADES TO STOCK RAPTOR R
OTHER
ABOUT HENNESSEY SPECIAL VEHICLES
The Hennessey Special Vehicles team was formed to create the world-record-breaking hypercars, the Hennessey Venom GT (270.49 mph in 2014) and the current world-record-holding ‘fastest convertible’ the Hennessey Venom GT Roadster (265.5 mph in 2016).
In 2020, Hennessey Special Vehicles launched the 100% bespoke, twin-turbocharged, 6.6-liter V8 Venom F5 Coupe, which sold out in 2021. An open-top Roadster and track-focused Revolution variant joined the F5 Coupe in 2022 and 2023, boasting the F5’s prodigious 1,817 bhp ‘Fury’ engine. In mid-2023, the Texas-based company revealed the Venom F5 Revolution Roadster, which combines visceral open-air motoring with a racing circuit focus. The company is delivering like never before on its mission of ‘making fast cars faster.’ HennesseySpecialVehicles.com
ABOUT HENNESSEY
Based in Sealy, Texas, the Hennessey business comprises Hennessey Special Vehicles, Hennessey Performance (HPE), Tuner School, and the Lonestar Motorsports Park. The company has re-engineered more than 12,000 vehicles for performance enthusiasts worldwide to deliver unparalleled driving thrills. Alongside modifying a diverse range of sports and muscle cars since 1991, the company has also applied its high-performance expertise to trucks and SUVs – and boasts its hypercars – the Venom GT and the Venom F5.
Every Hennessey product is dyno-proven, fully track-tested, street-legal, and warrantied. Customers can choose from road-ready performance-enhanced cars by Hennessey from various brands, including Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, and Jeep, all benefitting from a host of high-performance upgrades.
With its own test track, engineering curriculum for aspiring tuners, more than 100 team members, and capacity to simultaneously work on 40-50 vehicles, Hennessey Performance is one of the world’s leading specialist vehicle engineering companies. HennesseyPerformance.com
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