Hennessey Venom F5

Hennessey Venom F5 at a glance

Other hypercars and models of smaller brands are collected in our car catalogue, and one of the F5's rivals is covered in our Koenigsegg Agera R article.

History

Hennessey announced the Venom F5 in 2014 as the successor to the Venom GT, which had been based on the Lotus Exige. Development took several years: a full-size mock-up without engine or interior was shown at the SEMA show in Las Vegas in 2017, and the production car was unveiled at the end of 2020. The Venom GT had reached 435.31 km/h on the runway of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in February 2014, and the F5 was conceived to go faster still. Unlike its predecessor, it was designed from a clean sheet, and the cars are built by hand at Hennessey's headquarters in Sealy, Texas, near Houston. Production was limited to 24 coupés, and all of them were sold by August 2021.

Exterior

The body panels and the monocoque are made of carbon fibre, which keeps the weight down to around 1,385 kg. The car rides on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, and the shapes are designed to guide airflow where it is needed. The early concept was quoted with a drag coefficient of 0.33, compared with 0.44 for the Venom GT; the production car's claimed figure is 0.39, a compromise that also generates downforce. Hennessey says the rear wing produces more downforce than those of its main rivals in the battle for top-speed records, the Bugatti Chiron and the Koenigsegg Regera. The rear also has attractive LED lights and three round exhaust outlets arranged in a triangle.

Interior

The two-seat cabin has bucket seats, carbon-fibre panels and Alcantara and leather trim. Leather straps replace conventional door handles to save weight. Overall the interior is light and minimalist, yet quite futuristic, combining a racing feel with high-tech elements.

The central air vents mirror the triangular arrangement of the exhaust pipes at the rear, a unique detail. The steering wheel came in two designs: a classic shape flattened at the top and bottom, and an optional racing wheel with the digital instrument display mounted directly on it. To the right is a compact infotainment screen.

Engine and performance

The F5 is powered by a 6.6-litre twin-turbo V8 called Fury, designed specifically for this car. It produces 1,355 kW (1,842 PS) and 1,617 Nm. In 2025 Hennessey released an Evolution package that raises output further when the engine runs on E85.

The engine is paired with a seven-speed single-clutch automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters, sending power to the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential. The open Roadster and the one-off Revolution LF use a six-speed gated manual instead. Traction control uses GPS data, and the drivetrain is tuned for maximum acceleration: the F5 has covered the quarter-mile (402 m) in 9.82 seconds, reaching about 272 km/h. In July 2024 it covered the half-mile (805 m) in 14.44 seconds, reaching about 352 km/h, and Hennessey claims the Evolution version reaches 322 km/h (200 mph) from a standstill in 10.3 seconds. Hennessey's target is a top speed of more than 500 km/h.

Chassis

The F5 was developed from scratch rather than on a Lotus platform, as the Venom GT had been. It has an adaptive sports suspension with electronically controlled dampers, carbon-ceramic ventilated brakes with monobloc calipers and a long list of electronic driver aids, including control of the active aerodynamic elements and a bespoke traction-control system.

Versions

• Venom F5 Coupé - the original 24-car series.
• Venom F5 Roadster - an open version with a removable roof.
• Venom F5 Revolution - a track-focused version with revised aerodynamics, retuned suspension and lighter wheels, limited to 24 coupés and 12 roadsters.

Rivals

There are few cars of this kind, but the F5 has strong rivals: the Bugatti Chiron and the Koenigsegg Agera RS, and later the Koenigsegg Jesko, are its most direct competitors in the race for top speed.