Hennessey is building a Venom F5 hypercar to break records (see the video above the article). To do this successfully, it needs test drives at correspondingly high speeds. Recently, a serious incident occurred during one of these tests. As announced by John Hennessey, head of the tuner and car manufacturer, in a statement on Instagram, the test driver lost control of the Venom F5 at around 250 miles per hour. According to official information, nothing happened to him. Hennessey said that he survived the accident unscathed in his company’s prototype. The driver’s name is currently unknown. There are no photos or video recordings of the accident.
The crash occurred on Monday, July 1, on a runway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. According to the company’s president, Hennessey was testing a new aerodynamic setup there when the sports car suddenly lost downforce about 1.2 kilometers after takeoff. The exact reason for the sudden loss of downforce is still unknown. “Our team will evaluate the aerodynamic data to determine the cause of the problem,” John Hennessey wrote. His further words do not sound as if the incident will deter the military from further record hunting. In a statement, he quoted slain former US President John F. Kennedy, saying, “We don’t do these things because they’re easy. We do them because they’re hard.”
Attacking the high speed record
According to the original plan, the Venom F5 was to break the sound barrier at 300 miles per hour (482.8 kilometers per hour) in 2024. John Hennessey previously said, “The goal is to achieve 300 miles per hour in both directions, but achieving 500 kilometers per hour in one direction would be the ultimate way to celebrate the internal combustion engine.” The main requirement for this value to be recognized as an official world record is the speed in both directions. Professional racing driver David Donohue will be at the wheel. Finally, they searched for a runway or public road with a straight line of sufficient length. It is still unclear to what extent the accident has set back Hennessey’s plans.
It was no coincidence that Hennessey really wanted to set a record this year. The previous Venom GT weighed 1,244 kg and reached a top speed record of 435.31 km/h almost exactly 10 years ago, on February 14, 2014. The successor has already achieved this mark in early testing stages, and according to Hennessey, it was quite playful. On the 5.1-kilometer-long “Johnny Bomar Test Range” runway at the Kennedy Space Center (i.e. the record distance of its predecessor), he has already achieved a speed of 271.6 mph (437 km/h).
The long road to mass production
About the car: The Hennessey Venom F5 has already premiered several times. The Texas tuner first published photos of the hypercar of its own construction in the summer of 2014. In the fall of 2017, he revealed the further developed Venom F5 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Half a year later, it made its European debut at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. After that, Hennessey only published news about the progress of the American car on the Internet. But the Americans finally officially presented this production car – only recently, as part of the Monterey Car Week in mid-August 2021.
Design and dimensions
The model is radically different from the previously revealed Venom F5, which Hennessey describes as a “concept study.” The Americans have further developed their prestige object, especially in terms of aerodynamics. The hypercar is fitted with a carbon front splitter, a sleek underbody and a powerful diffuser, which makes the rear wing rather delicate. However, a racetrack-optimized Revolution version has arrived, featuring larger wings at the front and rear. Hennessey puts the drag coefficient of the standard F5 at 0.39.
Although it weighs only 86 kg, the carbon fibre chassis is said to be particularly torsionally rigid. To ensure this, Hennessey has placed the carbon fibre in a herringbone pattern in the centre of the chassis. The body, which is 4.67 metres long, 1.97 metres wide and 1.13 metres high (with a wheelbase of 2.80 metres), is also made of carbon fibre. A special feature is found in the sill area, which is integrated into the outer side of the scissor doors, solving a problem in many other super sports cars: passengers no longer have to struggle to get in and out of the very wide sills.
Engine and performance
Hennessey adapted the engine to a new chassis. However, its key data remains the same. The 280 kg twin-turbo V8, aptly nicknamed “Fury” (German for rage, enthusiasm), displaces 6.6 liters and offers impressive technical data: 1,842 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and a maximum of 1,617 Newton meters. This results in a power-to-weight ratio of 0.74 kg/hp. To achieve these values and set a high speed limit (the red range starts at 8,500 rpm), the engine is equipped with all kinds of high-tech, lightweight components, some of which are made of titanium and 3D-printed. The turbocharger is an example with double ball bearings and a 3D-printed titanium housing. Hennessey has improved the intercooler compared to the previous version.
Acceleration figures for the Venom F5: 0-100 km/h in 2.6 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 4.7 seconds, 0-300 km/h in 8.4 seconds, 0-400 km/h in 15,5 seconds. But the company’s boss John Hennessey believes that top speed is more important for the Venom F5. The Texans are aiming for a Vmax target of 311 mph (equivalent to 500 km/h) for the 1,360 kg hypercar. The name also comes from this speed. F5 represents the highest category of tornadoes, which can reach a maximum wind speed of 512 km/h. The top gear is so long that 528 km/h is theoretically possible.
Technical Details
But it’s not just the new chassis and adapted engine that guarantee success: the chassis features independent suspension, double wishbones and variously adjustable Penske screw-type dampers on all wheels. Forged rims, 9.5×19 at the front and 12×20 at the rear, are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, measuring 265/35 ZR19 at the front and 345/30 ZR20 at the rear. Behind the wheels is a braking system using 390-millimeter carbon-ceramic discs from Brembo and six- and four-piston calipers from AP Racing.
The four stainless steel exhaust tailpipes open centrally, quite high between the rear lights. Power flow to the rear wheels is controlled by a semi-automatic seven-speed transmission with steering wheel paddles. In addition to traction control including ESP, there is also launch control. The driving mode has five saved settings: Sport, Track, Drag, Wet and F5. Only the latter delivers full power.
Interior space
The squared-off open-top valance is well suited to an F1 car with numerous adjustment options and is set in a “space-inspired interior”, which is mainly made of carbon. Behind the steering wheel is a 7-inch driver information display. The centre console also houses the “N”, “D” and “R” buttons, as well as buttons for the window regulators, hazard warning lights, parking brake, front lift, door locks and climate control.
There’s a lot of carbon, some leather and Alcantara inside, and it even has an F1-style steering wheel.
Alpine’s 9″ touchscreen is positioned at the centre of the dash. This offers Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity to help Venom’s crew navigate their way around the country, and can also be paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth. Leather on the doors, dashboard and seats, and Alcantara on the roof lining and storage compartments create a welcoming ambience in the cockpit.
Price and availability
The price of the hypercar was $2.1 million net. With the German VAT (19%), the total amount is more than 2.5 million euros. Why past tense? Because all 24 copies of the standard version of the Hennessey Venom F5 have long been sold out. If you want to have a Texas speed record hunter in your garage, you’ll have to go to John Hennessey for the Roadster or the representative of the Revolution Special series. Of course, both versions are a bit more expensive.
Hennessey seemed determined to hit the 300 mph and 500 km/h marks with the Venom F5. Given the recent high-speed test accident, it remains to be seen whether the Texan military will continue to pursue the plan with the same enthusiasm. The hypercar doesn’t seem to lack the necessary motor power. However, it seems at least doubtful at this point whether the Venom F5 also meets the aerodynamic requirements.
(Tag translation) Sports car