Venom GT

Make
Hennessey
Segment
Coupe

We were sad to learn that the Hennessey Venom GT is ending production. As one of the fastest production cars ever made in a very limited production run, it will be sorely missed. Given its scarcity, we were also surprised to learn that one was going up for auction at Barrett Jackson. This wasn't just any model, either – this was the Spyder GT variant owned by Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler. The auction has since ended, and the Spyder GT was sold to the winning bidder for $800,000.

In addition, the winner also received a guitar signed by each band member of Aerosmith, and a week's vacation at Tyler's mansion in Maui. All proceeds will go to Tyler's Janie's Fund charity, which helps abused girls in America, so at least the Spyder's send-off is going to a noble cause. $800k may sound like a lot, but it's considerably less than we predicted it would sell for. Originally, the savage Spyder would set you back a cool $1.1 million. Based on the Lotus Exige, the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder is powered by a monstrous 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, producing 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 lb-ft of torque.

0-60 mph takes just 2.7 seconds, and the hypercar recorded a top speed of 270.49 mph in 2014, making it officially the fastest convertible in the world. It's rare, too – only 12 Venoms were produced, and the first Spyder was snatched up by Tyler when he asked Hennessey to make a convertible version for him. Given its performance and celebrity connection of one previous Aerosmith singer, $800k seems like the bargain of the century.