465kph Hennessey Venom F5

Crazy American speedologist John Hennessey has revealed his successor to the 928kW Venom GT. It will be known by the name Venom ‘F5’ and that refers to the Fujita tornado scale which ranks winds in an F5 category of 261mph, or 420kph. It is a fitting name for the next-generation Venom speed machine which aims to set a top speed in excess of 465kph.

Engineering a car for optimal top speed takes into account a few key factors; namely low weight, low drag and high power – and the Texas-built supercar promises to achieve velocities ‘previously unimagined’ by a series-production car.

The Venom F5 will be an all-new design and one that hopes to offer improved aerodynamics. ‘We learned a great deal during the development of the Venom GT in breaking the 270mph (434kph) barrier, and we look toward to raising the performance bar even higher,’ says John Hennessey.

To ensure the Venom F5 goes quicker than the GT, and potentially onto a Bugatti Veyron SS-beating world record speed, the body is all carbonfibre and the drag coefficient drops from 0.44 to below 0.40Cd, while still generating enough downforce via underbody venturis, a rear diffuser and rear wing to keep it stable.

The 7.0-litre twin-turbo V8 is still under development but the turbos for the longitudinally mounted engine will be bigger, as will the intercoolers. Power is predicted to exceed 1000kW when the engine is finally bolted into place. Exclusive use of carbonfibre for the body means kerb weight falls below 1300kg, but that is marginally heavier than the Venom GT.

John Hennessey believes the F5 will eclipse the GT’s current acceleration record of 14.51sec to 200mph (320kph) and a clever new traction control system and new single clutch paddle-shift transmission will help the F5’s accelerative abilities in doing so.

The Venom GT will continue to be offered. At present, 16 cars of the 29-car total production run have been sold. A full reveal is scheduled for the Venom F5 in 2015 and deliveries will kick off toward the end of 2016. Hennessey reportedly plans to make 30 of the F5s and price them from $1.3 million, or R14-million.

You can enjoy the Hennessey Venom GT’s record top speed run here: