It seems like a lifetime ago when Hennessey revealed the prototype for its next-generation hypercar at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Just think, for a moment, how much things have changed since. Aside from the global pandemic, the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ managed to hit 304.77 mph in August 2019, but since the specific car used was a pre-production prototype, the Koenigsegg Agera RS still holds the official world's fastest production car record of 277.87 mph, set in November 2017. Will the Hennessey Venom F5 surpass both? We'll be finding out soon enough.
Texas-based Hennessey Performance has just confirmed on its Facebook page the Venom F5 will officially be launched this November, six years since the project was first announced.
Just a single teaser image showing a small section of the Venom F5's exposed carbon fiber rear diffuser is all we have for today. Fortunately, the Venom F5 appears to be on schedule as the original plan was to show the production version in 2020. The prototype, which was really just a body shell lacking an interior and engine, is said to be very close to the final design.
The road-going Venom F5's lightweight monocoque body is all carbon fiber while power will come courtesy of a 7.6-liter twin-turbo V8 good for 1,600 horsepower and 1,300 lb-ft of torque. Total weight will be no more than 3,000 pounds. To put that into some greater perspective, the current Mazda MX-5 Miata tips the scale at around 2,300 pounds. Hennessey's ultimate goal is to beat both the Bugatti and Koenigsegg by setting a new production-car record of 311 mph, if not higher.
Hennessey has a long-proven ability to tune and build already fast cars to even greater speeds. The F5's predecessor, Venom GT, also set a top speed record of 265.57 mph in 2016. There's little to no reason to doubt the company will soon have another record-smasher on its hands.
Not surprisingly, production will be ultra-limited. Only 24 examples are planned, of which half will be for US customers and the remaining dozen will go to overseas clients. Pricing will be around $1.6 million per car.