Texan-based hypercar specialist, Hennessey, has unveiled its Bugatti Chironbaiting Venom F5 at the SEMA car show in Las Vegas. The Venom F5 is the latest model in a line of Hennessey cars dedicated to breaking top speed records.
A 7.4-litre aluminium V8, bolstered by two turbos, develops 1600bhp and 1300lb ft of torque. It drives the rear wheels via a single-clutch paddleshift gearbox, or a manual for those crazy enough to relinquish a two-handed vice-like grip on the wheel. In a Top Trumps battle, the Bugatti Chiron is outgunned by the American upstart with ‘only’ 1479bhp and 1180lb ft of torque.
Engineering efforts haven’t centred exclusively around the Venon F5’s powertrain. Designed in-house, the chassis and sleeker carbonfibre body help to further the top speed cause, yielding a kerbweight of 1338kg and a coefficient of drag of just 0.33. The near-two tonne Chiron cuts a less aerodynamic figure with a coefficient of drag of 0.35 in Top Speed mode.
All the power and aerodynamic honing combine for mind-blowing acceleration, 0-300kph arrives in less than 10sec. From standstill the F5 will charge to 401kph and back to rest in under half a minute.
The F5 undercuts the Chiron by about £1m too (based on current exchange rates), retailing at $1.6m. So the pound-per-horsepower calculations certainly tip the scales in the F5’s favour, although only 24 units will be produced.
Speaking at the car’s launch, John Hennessy, CEO said ‘We expect the Venom F5, named for the most powerful tornado speed winds on the Fujita scale, to be the first road car capable of achieving more than 483kph and have worked closely with Pennzoil to get us across the finish line’.
This article originally appeared at evo.co.uk
