$2.1 million dollars Hennessey Venom F5 Makes Global Production Car Debut

Hennessey Performance has unveiled the production version of its Venom F5 hypercar!

Hennessey Performance has unveiled the production version of its Venom F5 hypercar, ahead of customer deliveries in 2021 – the company’s 30th anniversary year. The all-new 100% bespoke Venom F5 is built to deliver the world’s most exhilarating all-round driving experience and unparalleled performance. With its immense power, low weight and meticulously honed dynamics, the F5 boasts extraordinary handling and a truly visceral experience behind the wheel.

Priced at $2.1 million dollars, just 24 ultra-exclusive versions of the Venom F5 will be produced with each example unique to its owner. The heart of the car is the Hennessey-built 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine named ‘Fury’, which delivers 1,817 hp at 8,000 rpm and packs 1,617 Nm (1,193 lb-ft) of torque.Deploying this unprecedented level of power in a car weighing just 1,360 kg (2,998 lb) results in prodigious acceleration: 0-100 kph (62 mph) takes less than three seconds and it will smash a 0-200 kph (124 mph) run in under five seconds. As part of its validation, the F5 is targeting a top speed in excess of 500 kph (311 mph) and will prove this with a transparent and independently verified top speed run in 2021.

The Venom F5 project is overseen by company Founder and CEO John Hennessey, who has shaped every aspect of the car’s specification, design and development. John has combined knowledge from the company’s past 30 years of making fast cars faster with the highest levels of specialist engineering talent.

“Our customers love speed, so we’re fired-up to push the boundaries of what’s possible to attempt the world’s fastest production car record, but the Venom F5 is about more than just speed and power. This car will handle superbly, quality is exceptional, there are more than 3,000 bespoke parts, materials are exquisite, everything is a fitting tribute to 30 years of the Hennessey brand.”
-John Hennessey

The Venom F5 is a symphony of mind-bending numbers, but that’s not the whole story. The car’s dynamics have been developed by Hennessey’s in-house dynamics guru – legendary US racing driver and vehicle set-up expert John ‘Heinrocket’ Heinricy. During the car’s development, his input will ensure that F5 offers a world-class all-round driving experience on road and track.

The F5’s status among the world’s greatest hypercars goes far beyond its world-leading performance figures. Its design, ultra-lightweight carbon fibre monocoque, premium quality and bespoke construction all place it at the pinnacle of global hypercars.

Underscoring this position at the peak of hypercar performance, the F5 will complete top speed testing in the first half of 2021 at the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility in Florida. Subsequent top speed runs will follow an intense period of real-world development at Hennessey’s own testing facility, plus the Circuit of The Americas – with John Heinricy leading the development team and conducting the bulk of hands-on testing.

The F5 aims to exceed 500 kph (311mph) on a two-way validated speed run using a production specification car. The record attempt will be independently verified by the world-renowned experts from Racelogic using VBOX GPS data acquisition systems. Racelogic / VBOX engineers will be on site to install, test and calibrate the speed testing equipment in the F5 to ensure absolute accuracy and transparency. In addition, VBOX engineers will verify all test data and final speed numbers. The speed test will be attended by independent witnesses, media guests and F5 customers. GPS data and uninterrupted video footage will also be made publicly available following the speed test.

Engine – ‘Fury’ by name, fury by nature – the beating heart of Venom F5
The F5 is powered by a rear-mid-mounted 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that generates 1,817 hp at 8,000 rpm. This power, 277 hp/liter, in a car that weighs just 1,360 kg (2,998 lb) generates a power-to-weight ratio of 1.34 hp/kg (1,298 hp/ton) – the highest of any road car.

“Our team built the Venom F5’s ‘Fury’ V8 motor with one vision – to deliver a unique and unparalleled driving experience. The engine commands complete respect. It’s intimidating – in a good way. It totally dominates the driving experience and keeps goading you to unleash its power, challenging you to tame it.”
- John Hennessey

“Shell has been eagerly anticipating this day and we are fortunate to have technical and co-engineering alliances with some of the most iconic automotive visionaries like Hennessey,” said Patty Lanning, Vice President of Marketing, Shell Lubricants. “Working behind the scenes with them on one of the most powerful and stunning road cars we’ve seen has been an incredible experience. We share a passion for performance and know that our Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil will protect and power the F5 across any finish line.”

No other automotive business in the world has such an exclusive focus on high output engines. Over the past 30 years the Hennessey team has evaluated, optimised and re-engineered some of the world’s most powerful road car engines. All this unparalleled experience has been harnessed for the Venom F5, creating a supremely powerful, monstrously loud, totally intoxicating powerplant.

The Fury is a 90-degree push-rod cross-plane crank V8 engine that weighs 280 kg (617 lb). Using all 30 years of the Hennessey team’s knowledge, the bespoke unit features an all-new cast iron block and aluminium cylinder heads and runs an aggressive road cam providing a characteristic off-beat race car sound and feel. Each engine is hand-built with precision components crafted from high-grade metals including aluminium, titanium and Inconel. These include the crankshaft, pistons, valves and connecting rods.

A unique intake manifold design places the intercooler between the plenum and cylinder heads allowing the inlet air temperatures from the turbos to be greatly reduced before the charged air enters the combustion chamber, resulting in greater air density and enhanced power efficiency. The Fury’s multi-stage dry sump oil system uses Pennzoil 10w60 synthetic motor oil to deliver optimum performance right up to its 8,500 rpm (in F5 mode) redline.

Additional power is delivered by two bespoke-built high-output precision ball-bearing turbochargers with 3D printed titanium compressor housings and 76 mm (3-inch) billet aluminium compressor wheels. Set right at the rear end of the engine bay sits a bespoke stainless-steel and Inconel exhaust system, which is treated with Cerakote to protect the engine bay from excess heat.

Cerakote is a ceramic-polymer treatment that is often applied to the inside of gun barrels to protect from heat and wear. By coating the underside of the engine bay cover, rear deck, and the entire exhaust system, the impact of heat on each part can be reduced significantly.

Fury lives up to its name, the engine is loud, immensely powerful and offers abundant torque – 1,617 Nm (1,193 lb-ft) at 5,500 rpm. The powertrain exhibits an extremely flat torque curve, meaning that the F5 produces high levels of pulling power from very low down in the rev range.

The F5 uses a specially-designed longitudinally-mounted semi-automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Having evaluated all potential options, the Hennessey team chose the only option capable of transferring the F5’s furious torque to the road – a single-clutch CIMA gearbox with seven ratios.
The set-up features close ratios at the lower end for rapid acceleration, with longer higher ratios to achieve a top speed in excess of 500kph (311mph). This means that the F5 offers an engaging drive at normal road speeds but can also hit record-breaking numbers. While the top (7th) ratio has a theoretical top speed of 534kph (334mph), the Hennessey team does not plan to hit this speed, it simply allows sufficient scope to pass the 500kph target.

Gear ratios and theoretical top speeds for the F5:
1 – 3.133 – 115kph (72mph)
2 – 2.100 – 172kph (107mph)
3 – 1.520 – 237kph (148mph)
4 – 1.172 – 307kph (192mph)
5 – 0.941 – 383kph (239mph)
6 – 0.784 – 460kph (287mph)
7 – 0.675 – 534kph (334mph)
R – 2.875 – 117kph (73mph)

Core strength and nimble handling enabled through ultra-lightweight, high-strength carbon fibre body
At the core of the F5 is an ultra-lightweight carbon fibre monocoque that tips the scales at just 86kg. This achievement sets the tone for the rest of the car where lightness features in every component to achieve the 1,360kg (2,998lb) total dry vehicle weight.

The all-new Hennessey designed carbon chassis features an intricate carbon weave in a herringbone pattern down the centre line of the car. Moulding the carbon fibre interior and exterior parts required more than 600 separate bespoke pieces of tooling. During the car’s three-year engineering development significant time has been spent on perfecting the chassis and body of the car to achieve lightness, leading torsional rigidity, and purpose-led beauty.

The exterior body panels are also constructed from high-strength carbon fibre for weight saving. The lightweight doors and door sills highlight the extent of carbon fibre engineering that features on the F5. By integrating the sills as part of the door structure, the Hennessey team avoided the ingress and egress challenges of some other hypercars.

The carbon fibre tub also plays an important structural role, which is clear to see within the engine bay. Here, a pair of substantial braces link the double wishbone suspension directly to the monocoque. This transfers forces to the exceptionally rigid carbon fibre shell, aiding to the car’s stability, road holding and predictable handling even at high speed and under extreme cornering loads.

The intrinsic strength of carbon fibre enhances occupant safety in the event of an accident. The carbon fibre body joins an aluminium subframe where engine and suspension components connect. The subframe components are engineered to deform in the event of an accident to absorb the energy of an impact and protect the passenger cell.

Exterior design – function defines form – designed in the pursuit of speed
The exterior design of the F5 revels in simplicity, combining minimal sharp lines with smooth flowing surfaces. Every part of the car’s sculpted body informed by the car’s function – to be fast, agile and stable at all speeds.

“We started our design journey with a goal to be the fastest car in the world. As the F5 evolved and our targeted dynamic capabilities were defined, we relied on a guiding principal that function defines form to sculpt the exterior. We worked hand-in-hand with our engineering team to ‘skin the beast’ with aerospace-inspired forms to create a machine that is highly capable technologically, but that is also beautiful.”
- Nathan Malinick, Hennessey Director of Design

The exterior of the F5 is shaped by aerodynamics and inspired by the pursuit of speed. The entire car exudes determination, purpose and drama from every direction with sculpted aerodynamic ducting and sharp, powerful lines to give the car a real sense of speed and intent, even while stationary.

By looking to fighter jets for inspiration, as control and precision at speed is central to their function, the front of the car is dominated by aerodynamic features. Sitting squat and low to the road the front profile of the F5 sees a pair of air intakes pushed towards the outer lower edges of the car, perfectly framing the cockpit above. The front clam shell is intersected by two supporting pillars of the carbon diffuser, which appear like ‘fangs’ converging below the newly-designed Hennessey ‘H’ logo. The headlights are long and sleek, stretching up and outwards, broadening as they rise towards the apex of each wheel arch. Both units have a clear ‘F’ shape and feature a subtle ‘Hennessey’ script logo embossed within.

Behind the front splitter, the bodywork channels air under the flat floor towards the diffuser at the rear. Two large ducts at either side of the front bumper force air towards the brakes for cooling, while the front clam has a steep rake that forces air upwards and over the door mirrors for minimal drag. On both corners at the front, two subtle ducts separate the airflow moving it away from the wheels, to reduce drag-inducing turbulence. Discrete cut-outs behind the front wheels create high-pressure zones to clean up body-side air-flow, while similar ducts on the rear haunches allow airflow in to cool the F5’s gearbox and powertrain.

Viewed from the side, the car’s compact dimensions are most obvious. At 4,666mm (183.7 inches) long and 1,971mm (77.6 inches) wide, the F5 is only marginally larger than its spiritual predecessor, the Venom GT. Maintaining this compact, taught form, the bodywork wraps tightly around the forged aluminium wheels (19-inch front / 20-inch rear), accentuating the low, speed-optimised stance. The bodywork looks as though it is shrink-wrapped around the core components of the car – particularly when in its ‘low’ road setting – ride height can be adjusted at front (75 - 140mm / 3 - 5.5 inches) and rear (85 - 160mm / 3.3 - 6.3 inches) to raise the car over speed bumps, or for loading, etc).

At the rear the F5’s spoiler is subtle, a cut-out that sits just above the bodywork and the rear deck of the car, allowing air to flow above and underneath enhancing stability at high speed while boosting downforce for regular road driving. Customers will be able to order a ‘track pack’ that includes a more aggressive front splitter and a rear mounted wing, which replaces the rear spoiler to deliver greater downforce.

The car’s aerodynamics were refined using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), the F5’s aero features were repeatedly refined to ensure that the passive aerodynamic setup and drag coefficient of 0.39Cd will keep the car stable at high speeds, while producing sufficient downforce to make it feel ‘planted’ when on the road.

The rear panel, with the distinctive rear lamps set at each corner, is the largest piece of CNC machined carbon fibre in use on a road car. The rear lamps are an abstract ‘5’ shape, linking to the front lights to subtly reference ‘F5’. A void sits at the centre of each lamp, which surround hollow carbon fibre air channels that pull heat from the engine bay.

Positioned centrally, just below the rear deck, are four ‘Cerakoted’ black exhaust pipes. Coloured black, the pipes don’t detract from the drama of the rear end, only becoming a noticeable feature when flames spit as the engine revs peak. The bodywork pinches in beneath the number plate, terminating where it meets the deep, wide carbon-fibre diffuser, which ‘kicks out’ air that’s been accelerated beneath the F5’s flat floor.
Viewed from above, the F5’s carbon tub is clearly visible. The striking weave of the high-grade lightweight carbon fibre is left visible, extending frontwards down each door pillar and rearwards over the engine bay cover. Vents all the way down this cover help to keep the V8 engine cool, while the gold leaf-lined engine bay helps to reflect heat, assisted by venturi-effect airflows.

The entire underside of the rear deck is treated with the ceramic polymer Cerakote for additional heat management. The engine is finished in polished aluminium with ‘Venom F5’ machined into both sides, with bright yellow cam covers that sport the Hennessey script and ‘Powered by Pennzoil’. Atop the motor sits a large manifold that carefully controls the fuel mixture to the powertrain. Moving rearwards the F5’s black exhaust manifolds emerge from down low, and merge towards the back of the engine bay where two large turbochargers sit between the engine and the short quad exhaust outlets.

The first Venom F5 is a customer car finished in ‘Speed Devil Blue’ accented by exposed carbon fibre and highlighted with brushed metallic forged aluminium wheels.

About John Hennessey
As the company founder and CEO, John Hennessey lives and breathes fast, fun cars. John developed a passion for pushing the limits of his cars while competing at world-renowned motorsport events including Pikes Peak, the Silver State Classic and the Bonneville Salt Flats (where he set a class world record).

What started in 1991, modifying imports out of his garage, soon morphed into building 1000-horsepower twin-turbo Dodge Vipers that gained international recognition in car magazines such as Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Top Gear, and Road and Track.

Viewed as an American icon of speed, John has achieved his vision to be the top automotive tuner and builder in the U.S. With a global sales footprint covering the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East he continues to find ways to engineer greater performance from some of the world’s most iconic cars alongside the creation of the company’s own world-class hypercar.

Source: Hennessey