The makers of Venom F5 and other Venom variants, Hennessey Performance Engineering came to be in 1991, 30 years ago. It started as an American tuning house that modified sports cars and coaxed out way more power than they have in their stock form. The founder is John Hennessey, a car whisperer extraordinaire, who started out modifying sports cars from the houses of Porche, Ferrari, McLaren, and Lexus. Along with these pricier brands, Hennessey ably modified the muscle car biggies, like Chevy, Ford, Dodge, Caddy, and more like the Lotus, GMC, Lincoln, et al.
Along with sports and muscle cars, HPE also tunes pickup trucks and SUVs and has specialized in creating monsters out of the Ford F-150. But they stepped out from their tuning shadow by launching their supercar brand, Venom.
And the Venom, much like Spider-Man’s arch-enemy, is spinning out of control, not as a car but as a nameplate, and turning into a very credible name in the world of hypercars. The latest is the Venom F5, and these are the most ridiculous features in and on it.
8 The First Hennessey-Made Venom
Hennessey first made the Venom GT, which was based on the Lotus Exige. But once the GT was done, John Hennessey now wanted a fully Hennessey-made Venom. He shared his thoughts with Top Gear, “The idea of the F5 came along after the Venom GT had achieved a level of success, but we knew we wouldn’t get the credit we deserved until we built our own.”
He carried on saying, “We didn’t want a one-hit top speed wonder, we wanted a car with a proper amount of balance and downforce at 300 mph, but one that could still be driven on a road, or a circuit.”
7 The Venom F5 Is Sold Out
The Venom F5 is a limited edition run, much like its predecessor, the Venom GT. But unlike Venom GT’s 13-car run, 24 Venom F5s are being made, and all have been sold out, despite the price rise. By December 2020, 12 units were sold, at the starting price of $1.6 million, but later, the price was raised to $2.1.
In August 2021, Hennessey Performance Engineering confirmed that the last of the slots had been filled, after the Venom F5’s showing at the Monterey Car Week in California. While not many can afford that massive price tag, even those who can have now missed the boat although HPE has hinted at future editions of the car.
6 The Fury Of Its Engine
When it comes to the Hennessey Venom F5, the maths of output numbers can make your head spin. The engine for the F5 is aptly named Fury and is a 6.6-liter twin-turbo tuned V8 marvel that can jet 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 pound-feet of torque.
For now, this is the most powerful road car engine. For all its power, the Venom F5 may be home at the track but also comes street legal. And frankly, more than 1,800 horses loose on the road sounds a tad terrifying. Especially when you realize that the Venom F5 weighs less than 3,000 pounds, dry. The power-to-weight ratio is just about off the charts.
5 Named After A 300MPH+ Storm
The Venom F5 takes its name from an F5 tornado, the highest rating of all tornadoes, with wind speeds that ranged from 261 MPH to 318 MPH. The tornado rating scale has now changed but the Venom F5 remains true to its name, in that its top speed is estimated to exceed 300 MPH.
HPE is eyeing a speed of 311 MPH and if proven, the Venom F5 will become the fastest car in the world. For now, tests are on and have shown that it can exceed 200 MPH in just half the horsepower. The car is undergoing testing and final figures will be made available post-confirmation.
4 The Engine Comes From GM
The engine, at heart, is from GM, the classic LS pushrod V8 but everything about the engine is adapted to performance. It’s not just the EMS that’s bespoke, every part is made to jet a crazy amount of power, the same as seven-and-a-half Golf GTIs. And it's not as if the first press of the pedal will release all that power, it's muted for the first four gears lest bedlam ensues.
Predictions of the speed are a 0-62 MPH sprint in 2.6 seconds, which technically is slower than a Tesla Model Plaid S. But it heats up, for a 0-124 MPH run of 4.7 seconds and a 0-250 MPH time of 15.5 seconds. This is twice as fast as the Bugatti Chiron and seven seconds faster than the fastest car in the world, the Koenigsegg Regera.
3 Driving School Is A Must To Handle The Venom F5
The Venom F5’s full power is not on all the time. There are five modes in all: Sport, Wet, Track, Drag, and F5. Each mode changes the steering and power delivery, along with ABS, traction, and ESC. The F5 model is the only one that unleashes all 1,817 horses.
But John Hennessey feels that with great power comes great responsibility. So every Venom F5 owner will have to complete a one-day F5 driver-training program to receive their F5 license, a code to unlock the F5 model. The training cost is covered in the price of the car.
2 The Carbon Fiber Outsides Of The Venom F5
The Venom F5 is built on a carbon-fiber monocoque that weighs 189 pounds and rides on a double-wishbone independent suspension for all four corners. There are Penske adjustable coil-over dampers and an electric power steering system.
The wheels are staggered, 265/35R19 in the front and slightly bigger 345/30R20 in the rear, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires. Brakes are big but not massive mostly because the Venom F5 is unlikely to be using its entire power all the time. Since the Venom F5 weighs only 2,998 pounds, it has a power-to-weight ratio of 1,298 hp per ton or 0.61 hp per pound.
1 A Fighter Plane Interior
The Venom F5’s butterfly doors lead into a very well-planned cabin with a chopped, yoke-like steering wheel with graphics on the instrument cluster, rather reminiscent of a fighter plane's insides.
The seats are carbon with enough padded leather to make long trips bearable but not plush. There is minimal carrying space so this is not the car for you if you are a big packer. But with snappy paddles, a central screen, a dial for air-con, and every other button crammed onto the steering wheel, driving the Venom F5 is a very different experience. And one that sounds like the insides of an avalanche.
Sources: MotorAuthority, TopGear, HennesseySpecialVehicles