The Hennessey Venom F5 is the successor of the famous Venom GT, which broke the top speed record of the Bugatti Veyron. The GT hit 270.4 mph in reply to Veyron’s 267 mph. However, couldn’t register itself in the record books because the supercar attempted the run in one direction only. Fast forward five years after this record run and Hennessey Special Vehicles is on the verge of completing the F5’s production and claims to break the top speed record by hitting 300 mph. The automaker has started work on the carbon fiber chassis with deliveries planned at the start of 2020. The $1.6 million hypercar will be limited to only 24 units – 12 for the U.S., and 12 for the remaining world.
Powertrain and Performance Figures
Being a car tuning company, Hennessey Performance Engineering always has one thing in mind; build high-performance cars. The Hennessey Venom F5 is no different. In fact, it is the best car the maker has ever produced. With the blank-sheet approach, they created their own chassis and installed a more powerful twin-turbo 7.4L V8 engine. To get higher power output than the GT, the automaker thought about adding a hybrid setup or a quad-turbo configuration such as available in the Bugatti Chiron, but they eventually ditched these ideas due to complexities involved. Of course, they wanted to keep the weight low, and these additions could add more weight to the car.
Talking about the performance figures, the mid-mounted engine output of the 2019 Hennessey Venom F5 is up to 1,600 horsepower and 1,300 pound-feet of torque compared to the Venom GT’s 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 pound-feet of torque.
“I’m a purist. I like simple, elegant functionality, and that’s not a knock against hybrids, but they’re for the big OEMs to do,” said John Hennessey, the founder of Hennessey Performance Engineering firm.
The power figures are imposing but what’s even more incredible is the claimed top speed of 301 mph, which would make headlines one day. John Hennessey said, “It’s no question of if we will break 300 mph but a question of when.”)
Engine Power
The engine’s power goes to the rear wheels via a seven-speed single-clutch paddle-shift transmission. If you remember, the GT had Ricardo six-speed manual. Now getting back to the performance figures, the 2019 Venom F5 would be able to achieve 300 km/h in less than 10 seconds, which makes it even faster than the F1 cars. Another interesting fact is it can go 0-to-249 mph-to-0 in less than 30 seconds, which makes it better than the world’s fastest Koenigsegg Agera RS (284.5 mph, achieved) and the Bugatti Chiron (261 mph, claimed).
Interior
If there is one word we have to use to describe the cockpit, we will say ‘Carbon.’ Yes, you can find it on the dashboard, the door panels, the floor, the center console, the pillars, the steering wheels, and even on the instrument cluster. The selection of ‘yellow’ color inside works perfectly to contrast the matte carbon appearance. Other than the carbon fiber, inside we also find materials like aluminum, leather, and Alcantara. For instance, the seats are placed close to each other and sports Alcantara trim. Between the seats, there is a thin center console with three knobs. Other prominent features inside include a large screen under the lower dash, a big screen instrument cluster, and the rev counter.
You have the option to choose between two steering wheels – a traditional option and a race-spec steering wheel with instrument cluster in the mid. The steering wheel features multiple buttons, including the boost button to improve performance.
Exterior
No one can describe the F5 better than Hennessey Performance Engineering CEO and Founder, John Hennessey. He said, “We’ve designed F5 to be timeless so that in 25 years it will still have a level of performance and design that will be unmatched.” What impressed us the most is the clean-slate approach, which gave Hennessey’s team all the power in the world to make it more aerodynamic and stylish. Unfortunately, it was not possible with the Elise-bodied Venom GT.
Using modern computational fluid dynamic (CFD) calculations, the engineers made sure the Hennessey Venom F5 could cut through the air effortlessly. Boasting a flat underfloor and the active wing elements. It has a drag coefficient of 0.33 CD, which is far better than the Venom GT. Most of the car elements are made of carbon fiber to keep the weight low. For instance, the monocoque, as well as the entire body, is made of carbon fiber. This is the reason it only weighs 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms).
Price
The automaker priced the Hennessey Venom F5 from $1.6 million and will offer a range of customization options, which will obviously bump up the price. As told earlier, they will only create 24 units, and half of which have already been booked last year. We are not sure if the order book is still open or not, but anyone interested in buying the Hennessey Venom F5 needs to first contact with John Hennessey because he picks buyers himself.
Key Competitors
If we talk about two cars that match the exclusivity of the 2019 Hennessey Venom F5, they are Bugatti Chiron and Koenigsegg Agera RS.
Bugatti Chiron
Talking about the Chiron first, it is undeniably the best supercar Bugatti has ever produced. It is more luxurious, more powerful, and more technologically advanced than most supercars in the market. The updated 8.0L 16-cylinder quad-turbo engine can create a whopping 1,500 horsepower, which is very close to the Venom F5. The $2.7 million price tag is a little steep for a buyer looking to get their hands on a supercar in the F5 price bracket. However, if you can afford it, you can buy the best of both worlds.
Koenigsegg Agera RS
If you get a chance to open the Guinness Book of World Record, you will find the Koenigsegg Agera RS right at the top of the ‘Fastest Cars in the World’ list. The hypercar carries a twin-turbo 5.0L V8 engine pumping out 1,160 horsepower and 944 pound-feet of torque. This considerable power enabled the car to conquer the 11-mile stretch of Route 160 between Las Vegas and Pahrump with a speed of 284.55 mph. In an attempt to run in the opposite direction. It hit 271.19 mph, thus recorded an average speed of 277.9 mph. It can cover 0-to-249 mph-to-0 in 36.44 seconds, which is more than 6 seconds higher than what the F5 claims.
Our Verdict
Calling it ‘America’s Hypercar,’ Hennessey Special Vehicles has done everything right to stay true to their claim. They made it lightweight, installed a brand-spanking-new 7.4L V8 engine, and improved the aerodynamics through advanced engineering. They just need to do one more thing; keep their foot on the skinny pedal and hit 300+ mph to register itself in the Guinness World Record Book. While some would argue that a limited series car does not lay claim to a speed record. We give full marks to Hennessey’s approach to build this car from the ground-up. We are excited to see how the Hennessey Venom F5 performs on the track.
