Hennessey is ready to let the Venom F5 loose in the hands of its customers.
The American tuner’s chief engineer has ticked off on the turbocharged V8 F5 after clocking 437km/h – no that’s not a typo, four-hundred and thirty seven – on a final validation run. Production on the 24 customer orders will now begin.
Although 437km/h isn’t what you’d call slow, the Venom F5 can reportedly go even faster.
The company told Top Gear it’s chasing 300mph (482km/h) with the F5, but it needs an even longer runway to get there. Stay tuned, apparently we can expect an attempt at the end of 2022.
Behind the passenger cell in the Venom, driving the rear wheels via a seven-speed semi-automatic transmission, is a 90-degree 6.6-litre twin-turbo pushrod V8 with a cast iron block and aluminium cylinder heads.
Hennessey claims the V8 maxes out with 1355kW at 8000rpm and 1617Nm.
Thanks its lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque, which weighs just 86kg, the car tips the scales at a mere 1360kg.
Hennessey says the car can complete the 0-100km/h run in under three seconds, and requires just 4.7 seconds to hit 200km/h.
The powertrain has five user-selectable drive models available: Sport, Track, Drag, Wet and F5. Only F5 mode unleashes the full potential of the 6.6-litre V8.
The F5 rides on 19-inch wheels at the front with 265/30 Michelin Pilot Cup Sport 2 tyres, and 20-inch rims with 345/30 rubber at the rear.
Measuring 4666mm long and 1971mm wide, the Venom F5 has a drag coefficient of 0.39. The car’s passive aerodynamics have been tuned so there’s sufficient downforce at high speeds.
The cabin features two carbon fibre bucket seats with multiple leather-clad pads for a bit of comfort.
The majority of the interior is trimmed in carbon fibre with a glossy finish and there are aluminium and Muirhead leather highlights on the doors and dashboard, as well as faux suede for the headliner.
Ahead of the driver is a cockpit-like setup with a race-car style steering wheel and a 7.0-inch digital instrumentation screen. In the centre of the dashboard there’s a 9.0-inch Alpine touchscreen infotainment system compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
