Speed records will always be a hot pursuit. Bigger, more powerful, lighter, faster is the mantra. And of course, if you build it, you need to test it. Because if a machine test doesn’t back up your claims, well, they’re just claims. But with great speed comes great risk, especially in the world of hypercars and hypercars. Just ask Hennessey Performance.
The Texas-based manufacturer was conducting 0-250 mph tests to set up a new aerodynamic setup for its Venom F5 supercar on Monday when things went wrong. Posted on social mediaCompany founder and owner John Hennessey said the Venom F5 prototype was returning strong acceleration numbers when a downforce issue caused the test driver to lose control. Hennessey did not provide many details about the incident other than to thank first responders and on-site staff, and to say the driver walked away “without injury.”
The Venom F5 “Revolution” Coupe, the new track-only version of the standard coupe, is said to deliver more than 800 pounds of downforce at 186 mph and more than 1,400 pounds at 249 mph. Hennessey didn’t say which Venom F5 was tested, but the driver’s ability to get away with anything remotely close to those downforce numbers is a testament to the car’s strength and overall safety. Still, it was likely a harrowing experience.
Finding a location to test a vehicle at such high speeds was a test in itself. Hennessey Performance usually ends up in the grandstands. For this particular test, the Hennessey team was at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
The Venom F5 was announced in 2017, offering 1,600 horsepower for a price tag of $1.6 million. When the order books finally opened (and closed) in 2021, everything had gone up. Horsepower was now 1,817, and the price was $2.1 million. But in order to achieve its 311 mph top speed, the production car would be shipped without airbags and with a “show and show” tile only for U.S. buyers.
However, the 24-unit car lot has been sold.
The Venom F5 features a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8, a carbon fiber body and chassis, weighs less than 3,000 pounds, and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. A track-tuned version was announced last year. Limited to just 24 cars, the Venom F5 “Revolution” Coupe recalibrates the standard coupe’s “Fury” engine and adds other tweaks like aerodynamic improvements, a retuned suspension, new wheels, and a roof-mounted air vent. The Revolution will set you back $2.7 million.
Hennessey said the team will “evaluate aerodynamic data to determine the root cause” of the loss of downforce.