Hennessey kicked off customer deliveries of the Venom F5 last November and is currently busy making the remaining 23 cars, all of which have long been sold out. In the meantime, it has put a stripped-down prototype on a chassis dyno for testing purposes. It's a good opportunity to hear the "Fury" engine as it screams all the way up to over 8,300 rpm to contrast the many silent EVs introduced this week at CES 2022 in Las Vegas.
The naked Venom F5 boasts a mighty 6.6-liter V8 with a pair of turbochargers and an impressive 8,500 rpm redline. It certainly sounds glorious and we are still patiently waiting to see what it's capable of during the hypercar's long-promised top speed run to smash the 300-mph barrier. For now, we can only hear the engine while it produces its full 1,817 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 1,193 pound-feet (1,617 Newton-meters) of torque from 5,000 rpm.
Gallery: 2021 Hennessey Venom F5
Loosely based on GM's LS V8, the engine was heavily revamped with a new dry sump, titanium intake valves, cast-iron block, and fuel injectors. Its management system is tailor-made and is derived from drag racing, which makes sense given the sheer power delivered by the V8. The Venom GT's successor has a delightfully raw noise as it sends power to the rear wheels through a single-clutch, seven-speed semi-automatic transmission fitted with paddle shifters.
Based in Texas, tuner-turned-automaker Hennessey had no problems in selling the production run despite the $2.1-million price tag for a hypercar with no airbags. It will therefore be registered in the United States only with a show and display title, meaning North American buyers will drive it for only 2,500 miles per year.
The Next Fastest Production Car?
Hopefully, 2022 will be the year when we'll witness a new world record for the fastest road-legal production. It should be a battle between the Venom F5 and the Tuatara, unless Koenigsegg wants a piece of the action. We will have to wait and see which will be the first to hit the magical 500 km/h (310.6 mph).
Source: Hennessey Performance / YouTube