Remember those tuner cars that used to appear in the buff books? Calloway and Lingenfelter were two of the best-known, and then Hennessey Performance Engineering came around with the 1000-horsepower Viper Venom. And remember when the Hennessey HPE700 ZL1 Camaro made a 203.9-mph run on the Texas SH130 toll road almost 10 years ago? But Hennessey now has a Hennessey Special Vehicles division that develops its own cars, the first being the 2019 Venom F5 Coupe hypercar and, with today’s announcement, the Venom F5 Roadster.
Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with language, so if you are wondering what a hypercar is, rest assured you’re not alone. A car as famous as the Lamborghini Countach or even modern iterations of the V12 sports car from Sant’Agata would have been referred to as a supercar. Those incredible vehicles absolutely pale in comparison to a hypercar, which takes the sports car to another level. The Bugatti Veyron may be the classic example of a hypercar, but there are several small companies engineering small batches of cars, taking performance to a level never seen on a four-wheeled vehicle you take to the department of motor vehicles. Now, Texas’ own Hennessey is here to cause a ruckus with the world’s fastest and most powerful roadster.
“We created the Venom F5 to be the ultimate expression of a hypercar. The Roadster version takes the Coupe’s speed, exhilaration, and awe, plus a sprinkling of respect-inducing fear, to a new, truly visceral level that brings owners closer to the Venom F5’s extreme performance. Our 1,817 bhp ‘Fury’ engine screams behind the exposed cockpit, with its roar unobstructed by a roof – it is an unmatched automotive experience.”
The Venom F5 Coupe was built in conjunction with Delta Motorsports out of the United Kingdom. As Hennessey’s first homegrown vehicle, it was named after a measure of the most torrential tornadoes. Twenty-four Coupes were built at a price of $1.8 million, and now we have what’s being billed as the world’s fastest and most powerful roadster. The record for “world’s fastest convertible” is currently held by the 2016 Hennessey Venom GT at 265.6 mph and, based on the Venom F5 Coupe’s performance, the Venom F5 Roadster is likely to surpass that in spades.
Of course, the top has been removed, with a removable 18-pound carbon-fiber composite now in its place, but perhaps the most attention should be paid to the new engine window. Made from tempered glass, it is of a grade developed and certified for use in jets and can withstand aerodynamic forces greater than what the F5 is capable of, not to mention temperatures that exceed 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, the window “is encapsulated within a removable carbon fiber engine cover that features intricately-milled heat extraction holes that match those in the rear bumper.” Dual aluminum air vents — four on each side — also assist with heat extraction and match the vents behind each front wheel.
Getting to the nitty-gritty, the 6.6-liter twin-turbo “Fury” V8 is mounted midship in a carbon-fiber monocoque chassis. Like the Venom F5 Coupe, horsepower is an astounding 1,817. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a “robust” automated single-clutch transmission. Dry weight is under 3100 pounds. Do the math and your head will explode.
Only 30 units are planned over a four-year run at a cost of $3 million each. “Roadster production begins in late 2022, with validation of the model’s high-speed capabilities set to occur as the production rate levels out.” If you’re lucky enough to be at Monterey Car Week 2022, you will be able to catch global debut of the Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster at The Quail motorsports gathering this weekend.