Just 24 will be built, each at a cost of $1.6 million.
Following a string of teasers, and promises of speeds up to 300 miles per hour (482 kilometers per hour), Hennessey today has debuted its stunning new Venom F5 at the SEMA show in Vegas. Finally. Like the outgoing Venom GT before it, the new F5 is focused on one thing: speed. But unlike the original, Hennessey’s latest creation was built from the ground up.
Gone is the Lotus chassis, instead the Venom F5 body comes wrapped around a custom carbon fiber tub. The exterior is also finished in the lightweight material, and the new design makes it a significantly sleeker than its predecessor. The new F5 has a drag coefficient of just 0.33Cd. For reference, the outgoing Venom GT had a coefficient of 0.44 Cd, and the current Bugatti Chiron has a coefficient 0.38Cd.
Don’t expect any hybrid powertrain here. “I’m a purist,” Hennessey said in an interview with Top Gear. “I like simple, elegant functionality, and that’s not a knock against hybrids, but they’re for the big OEMs to do.”
Power comes courtesy of a bespoke 7.4-liter aluminum biturbo V8 pumping out a monstrous 1,600 horsepower (1,193 kilowatts) and 1,300 pound-feet (1,762 Newton-meters) of torque. All that power is sent to a set of Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires at the rear via a seven-speed single-clutch paddle-shift gearbox. A manual gearbox is optional, of course, but Hennessey says that you’ll be fighting with the GPS-based traction control all the way up to 140 mph (225 kmh).
When equipped with a special Vmax mode, the F5 lowers its rear wing and seals ducts located just above the spoiler in an effort to improve aerodynamic efficiency. That gives it the ability to sprint to 186 mph (300 kmh) in just 10 seconds, 249 mph (400 kmh) in under 20 seconds, and on to a top speed of 301 mph (484 kmh)… allegedly. For what it’s worth, that’s a few seconds quicker than both the Koenigsegg Agera RS and the Bugatti Chiron.
The cabin, coated in swaths of leather, carbon fiber, and Alcantara, is highlighted by an Apple iPad interface, as we’ve seen teased previously. It’s roomy, too; Hennessey promises that it will be able to accommodate a six-foot six-inch football player, as the aforementioned athlete will be one of the first owners.
Just 24 examples of the car will be built at Hennessey’s Sealy, Texas facility, each at a cost of $1.6 million – $600,000 worth of options, though, could push it well over $2 million. Potential owners will have to apply and be approved by John Hennessey himself prior to taking delivery of the car.
The new Hennessey Venom F5 makes its debut today at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. Now it’s only a matter of time before we get to watch this monster machine sprint to 300 mph…
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