It may come as no surprise, but the record for the most powerful manual production car has just been broken by a multi-million dollar convertible hypercar.
Produced by US hypercar specialist and tuning house, Hennessy, the Venom F5-M Roadster’s twin-turbo V8 pushes out 1336kW of power, which is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed gated manual transmission.
Priced from US$2.65 million (A$3.98 million) each, just 12 examples of the Venom F5-M Roadster will be manufactured, each sporting a unique colour scheme to each other.
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Based on the semi-automatic Venom F5 Coupe, Roadster, and Revolution models, the F5-M Roadster houses a mid-mounted 6.6-litre twin-turbo pushrod V8 with 1617Nm of torque and an 8200rpm redline, bumped up to 8500rpm in ‘F5 mode’.
The body shell is constructed of carbon fibre, with double wishbone suspension at the front and rear as well as Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres on each corner helping to keep it stuck to the road.
Hennessy claims he open cockpit and physical transmission connection “ensure an unparalleled driving experience, free from electronic interference.”
The cabin of the Venom F5-M Roadster has been overhauled to make the new variant just that little bit more exclusive.
The gated shifter is located in the upper section of the central tunnel, elevated for the “perfect shift”.
Steering inputs go through an F1-style half-wheel, which contains most of the physical button controls in the car.
Hennessy hasn’t yet offered up performance figures, but it has confirmed that the F5-M Roadster is quicker than the Venom GT Spyder – the current top speed record holder for convertible, which hit 427km/h in 2016.
The F5-M Roadster can be distinguished from its siblings by a 1.4-metre long fin stretching over the rear section of the car, starting at the roof scoop.
“We always wanted to build a manual Venom F5 – and it’s something our clients have been asking for. It’s old school, it’s badass, and it offers ultimate driving engagement,” said Hennessy founder and CEO, John Hennessy.
“We believe that the Venom F5-M Roadster will be the most intense, immersive, and extreme driving experience on the planet and a dozen lucky customers get to join us for the ride!”
Hennessy has delivered 24 F5s to date, all manufactured at the carmaker’s headquarters in Texas.
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