It's been eight years since the Venom GT's record was achieved.
The Hennessey Venom GT may have been a heavily modified Lotus Elise and Exige, but it was a truly rare hypercar capable of extraordinary feats, resulting in examples retaining value and reaching figures as high as around $1.2 million on the used market. That's a bargain compared to what the modern-day Hennessey Venom F5costs: a shocking $2.1 million. But even if you don't compare the price of its replacement, the Venom GT still seems like a good buy when you look at what it can do. Eight years ago, on February 14, 2014, Hennessey took the Venom GT to the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it achieved a mind-blowing 270 mph top speed to secure a spot in the record books.
Hennessey has recently been focused on its bread-and-butter modifications for existing vehicles like the Ford F-150 and Ram TRX, but as the above Instagram post shows, the company has not forgotten about chasing records. The Venom GT remains the world's fastest manual-transmission-equipped car ever, and Hennessey muses over the idea of setting such a record again. Since the Venom F5 is fitted with a seven-speed single-clutch semi-automatic transmission, we suspect that the company is referring to the all-out speed record, which means outperforming the controversial SSC Tuatara and the magnificent Koenigsegg Agera RS. Things won't be easy though, as Koenigsegg is also chasing one more insane speed record with the Jesko Absolut.
Still, we should not allow ourselves to be desensitized from the spectacular achievement that the Venom GT managed to pull off. 0-186 mph took just 13.63 seconds thanks to a Chevrolet LS7 7.0-liter V8 supplemented by a pair of turbochargers to produce a mesmerizing 1,244 horsepower - all of which went to the rear axle via a six-speed manual transmission. Can the newcomer eclipse it? We certainly hope so.
The Venom F5 uses the basis of an LS engine bored out to the tune of 6.6 liters. The turbocharged V8 called the 'Fury' makes a dizzying 1,817 hp and 1,193 lb-ft of torque. If straight-line records prove out of reach for Hennessey going forward, at least it will have a shot at the Nurburgring record with the hardcore F5 GTR...
