Hennessey is brand synonymous with performance. Founded by John Hennessey back in 1991 the company has conquered many rival performance brands and proved to impose dominance not just in a straight line with the ¼ mile but also on the track. Texas native John Hennessey got his start in racing with the Mitsubishi 3000 GT then translated that love into a business. He started outfitting production cars with modifications that returned otherworldly performance.
Let's delve further into the Hennessy Venom GT and its engine.
Half Lotus + Half Corvette = Bugatti Killer
Although Hennessey may have hit some rough patches the company has gone on to produce masterpieces in the car world with models like the Exorcist, the fastest Camaro with 1000hp, the masterful Velociraptor, 6x6 Ford’s F1-50 Raptor with a specially built 5.0L v8 making over 750hp, and much more.
It was after Bugatti took to the world stage claiming the fastest production car top speed certified by Guinness that Hennessey wanted to throw his hat in the ring. American supercar manufacturer and lone star state native Hennessey took his shot at the title. With his first production vehicle that was uniquely Hennessey, the Venom GT was born. The Venom GT is one hell of a performer because of its absolutely Furious engine.
The performance engineering that went into the Venom GT’s powerplant is nothing short of perfect. The Venom GT blends the components of two LS generations together. The LS7 serves as the basis for the supercar but it incorporates reinforcing design elements and additional head bolts with aluminum heads from the LS9
For starters the Hennessey Venom GT was based off of a Lotus Elise and Exige. In truly making it one of a kind the performance tuning house stretched the body of the original frame to fit a Chevy small block LS7 engine in the middle of the chassis. The body was then strengthened with a generous use of carbon fiber throughout.
The Venom GT Comes With A Thirst Quencing 7.0 Liters
7.0 Liters is how much displacement of fuel this rocket ship drinks every time you put the pedal to the metal. The chevy small block like the Corvette C6 Z06 has been modified to be extra thirsty. You would be hard pressed to find another production vehicle that drinks more aside from its competitors like the Bugatti Veyron which gulps 8.0L when it's time to boogie down the track. The Rolls Royce Phantom’s displacement is at 6.75 L and Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Supercar takes 6.5L both from a 12 cylinder. All of which return dismal fuel economy numbers, but who cares when you are in the fastest cars on the planet.
Precision Ball Bearing Twin Turbocharged With The Venom GT
The Venom Gt sports massive 67mm twin ball bearing turbochargers as opposed to the journal bearing turbochargers. Why do you ask? The ball bearing chargers include a heat sync bearing cartridge not found on journaling turbos. Its better to keep the turbo's temperature regulated. Ball bearing units also tend to have more durability than a journaling unit. Quicker spool characteristics like a lack of noticeable turbo lag and avoiding any type of oil starvation that can occur. Ball Bearing turbos are more expensive but with less moving parts they are going to be more efficient.
The record breaking Venom GT also has a liquid inter-cooling system for those gigantic turbos. Its equipped with imposing twin aqueducts affixed to the rear trunk engine cover to bring in more air to cool that liquid and help acoustics for the menacing growl. The turbos are also equipped with a powerful wastegate system to funnel exhaust gasses away from them and help regulate turbine speeds returning a high boost capability with no noticeable lag.
The over powered supercar is still not at its limit as both turbochargers affixed to the monstrous engine are capable of pumping more air and generating an additional 1000hp each according to John Hennessey. Not tuning them to their brink allows for owners to drive their expensive toy just that much longer.
The Venom GT Provides A Lot of Fury
Packing combustive heat like the oven door, the Venom GT’s 7.0L twin turbocharged massive engine is capable of producing up to 1,244 horsepower. The supercar can be adjusted to output 800hp, 1000hp, or the full 1,244ph from the cockpit when the driver needs to. In 2013 the Venom GT beat out Bugatti’s Veyron and took the top spot as the fastest road legal car in the Guinness World Record. The Venom GT set a top speed record of 270.49mph.
With the generous use of Carbon Fiber through the body and frame only weighs around 2500lbs or 1200kg. So there is about 1 horsepower for every kg making it feel like a go cart. Jay Leno tested it and drove the Venom GT around in the mountains of Malibu with Jon Hennessey back in 2013. Leno said “It feels like a bigger version of my Ariel Atom with a lot more horsepower” he added “Tremendous amount of torque when you touch the throttle. Just the slightest bit of throttle and this thing leaps, very go cart like''.
The Venom GT Is A True Driver’s Car
The driving maneuverability is meant to be nimble yet able to keep all 1244 horses from getting away from you. Like the Dodge Viper there is no power assist, Hennessey believes that if they were to equip their supercar with those add-ons like competitors it would take away from the driving experience.
The engine also sits in its bay uncovered so when enthusiasts pop the trunk they can see all the inner workings. according to John Hennessy the car is much more capable than what it was tuned out to be. It may sound overpowered 1244hp but the drivetrain is capable of withstanding the load of about 1500hp to the rear wheels.