2021 Hennessey Venom F5 debuts – 6.6L twin-turbo V8, 1,817 hp & 1,617 Nm, over 500 km/h top speed!

At long last, the Hennessey Venom F5 has finally made its official debut, three years after the original prototype was shown. Production of the 100% bespoke hypercar is limited to just 24 units worldwide, and the starting price is US$2.1 million (RM8.51 million).

Powering the Venom F5 is a Hennessey-built 6.6 litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine (named Fury), delivering 1,817 horsepower at 8,000 rpm (redline is 8,500 rpm, pretty high for a big bore turbo mill) and 1,617 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. Hennessey claims that the engine is the most powerful production road car engine ever made, eclipsing the Bugatti Chiron‘s 8.0 litre W16 quad turbo engine with 1,500 hp and 1,600 Nm. Prior to this, the Venom F5 prototype was fitted with a 7.4 litre mill which made 1,600 hp and 1,762 Nm.

The Fury is a 90-degree push-rod cross-plane crank V8 engine that weighs 280 kg. It features an all-new cast iron block and aluminium cylinder heads. Each engine is hand-built with precision components manufactured from high-grade metals including aluminium, titanium and Inconel. These include the crankshaft, pistons, valves and connecting rods.

At the core of the Venom F5 is an ultra-lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque that weighs just 86 kg. The composite material is also used to make its exterior body panels and doors, whereas the subframes are made from aluminium that can deform in the event of an accident.

All in, the car weighs in at just 1,360 kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 1,212 hp per tonne. A seven-speed single-clutch semi-automatic gearbox (with paddle shifters) help propel the rear-wheel drive car from standstill to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 4.7 seconds, 0-300 km/h in 8.4 seconds, and 0-400 km/h in 15.5 seconds. Hennessey is planning an official top speed run in 2021, with hopes of breaking the 500 km/h barrier. That’s just insane.

To overcome the challenges of having such immense power sent to the rear wheels, Hennessey used a Motec controller which helps calibrate power and traction. The five drive modes – Sport, Track, Drag, Wet, and F5 – alter the amount of power that gets sent to the wheels, and each mode changes traction and braking thresholds as well. Only the top F5 mode will unlock the engine’s full power.

Grip is afforded by 20-inch wheels at the back with wide 345/30 profile tyres, while the front gets 19-inch units with 265/35 section Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. All four corners get 390 mm x 34 mm Brembo carbon ceramic discs with AP Racing calipers (six-piston up front, four-piston at the back), as well as double wishbone suspension with Penske coiler dampers.

The car’s design was inspired by fighter jets. Company founder and CEO, John Hennessey said the F5 was “designed to be timeless so that in 25 years it will still have a level of performance and design that will be unmatched.” It’s also aerodynamically optimised with carbon-fibre splitter, flat underbody design, large rear diffuser and rear spoiler, all of which create a drag coefficient value of 0.39.

In terms of dimensions, it measures 4,666 mm long and 1,971 mm wide. Ride height can be adjusted to make clearance for speed bumps or loading, too. Other design features include the carbon-fibre rear panel (the one with all the oval perforations for heat to dissipate), which Hennessey said is the largest piece of CNC-machined CF panel used on a road car. The quad black exhaust pipes and entire underside of the rear deck are treated with ceramic polymer (Cerakote) for additional heat management.

Like a true driver’s car, the cabin is completely designed to be non-distracting, just like a pilot sitting in a fighter jet cockpit. The carbon-fibre surfaces are proudly uncovered, but there are sprinkles of exquisite Muirhead leather to make the cabin more inviting.

The carbon-fibre steering wheel is inspired by an aeroplane ‘yoke’ and a Formula One race car, complete with tactile controls for the lights, windscreen wipers, and turn signals. The vertical green piece in the centre is actually the drive mode switch. Behind the wheel is a 7.0-inch instrument display cluster, and displays vehicle speed, engine revs, and key temperatures at all times.

Elsewhere, it gets carbon-fibre bucket seats, lightweight carbon-fibre door handles with aluminium inserts (complete with a depiction of the Texas and US flags), button-type gear selector, a small 1.3-inch digital display for the car’s HVAC systems, and a nine-inch Alpine touchscreen infotainment system, complete with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, GPS navigation, and Bluetooth phone pairing.

The car you see here is an actual customer’s car. It’s finished in Speed Devil Blue, accented with exposed carbon-fibre and brushed metallic forged aluminium wheels. The cabin is trimmed with Butterscotch leather, plus some use of black leather and Alcantara accents. Some green accents are used, too, which is a nod to the mantra ‘green means go’. The foot pedals are also milled from solid aluminium.

“Our customers love speed, so we’re fired-up to push the boundaries of what’s possible to attempt the world’s fastest production car record, but the Venom F5 is about more than just speed and power. This car will handle superbly, quality is exceptional, there are more than 3,000 bespoke parts, materials are exquisite, everything is a fitting tribute to 30 years of the Hennessey brand,” said the company founder.

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