The Texan supercar that could.
Seven years ago, an American company called Hennessey Performance (HPE) brought to the world the Venom GT, a ludicrously fast supercar based on the bones of the Lotus Exige. Packing a 7.0-litre bi-turbo V8, it gained fame for earning the Guinness World Record in 2013 for the fastest 0-300km/h by a production car, managing the dead in just 13.63-seconds (of course, this went on to be garnered by the Koenigsegg One:1, which did it in just 11.92-seconds).
Ahead of its replacement, the American firm has decided to end production of the Venom GT, after having manufactured just 13 examples (one of which is a prototype). So as a goodbye to one of the most insane cars of all the, Hennessey has come up with a ‘Final Edition’ to send it off. This Final Edition, which has already been sold for US$1.2-million (or just under $1.6-million), is finished in a ‘glacier blue’ hue, with white stripes from nose to tail. The engine remains the same 7.0-litre V8, packing 1082kW and 1745Nm.
Though it’s seen several minor revisions through its lifetime, the Venom GT still remains to be built off of a heavily-modified Exige chassis, and fitted with carbon-fibre bodywork, bigger brakes, and advanced aerodynamic tweaks. In coupe form, the Venom GT managed to hit 435.31km/h on a run at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, outdoing the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport’s 431km/h rated top speed. Due to the technicalities involved with top-speed runs however, the Venom GT never got to take the crown as the fastest car in the world, and it never took another crack at the title.
John Hennessey, CEO and founder of HPE said, “It was always my dream to build the fastest car and we did just that. Our Venom GT retires as one of the fastest cars on the planet along with being one of the most exclusive. I’m so grateful to our customers, employees, suppliers, and our technical partners, Pennzoil and Shell V-Power, who have helped make this special car a reality. We look forward to introducing our next car, the Venom F5, sometime later this year.”
The Venom F5, successor to the GT, is said to boast more power than the outgoing car, while touting improved aerodynamics and weight-saving measures designed into the all-new body.
