Venom GT “World’s Fastest Edition”
Hennessey builds special-edition supercar to commemorate speed records

– 13.63 sec. 0-300 km/h Guinness World Record
– 270.4 mph top speed run at the Kennedy Space Center

March 25, 2014—For immediate release

Sealy, Texas—Hennessey Performance (HPE) is building a limited run of
World’s Fastest Edition Venom GTs to celebrate the company’s recent top speed run of 270.4 mph, which was set at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in February. The World’s Fastest Edition (WFE) also alludes to the Venom’s 0-300 km/h Guinness World Record.

“The Venom GT is America’s supercar and it broke 270 mph on the same runway where the Space Shuttle landed at the Kennedy Space Center,” said company founder John Hennessey. “We wanted to offer a special paint scheme that would incorporate the colors of the American flag—the same flag we flew on the Space Shuttle runway. Thus, our special livery package includes a body in white with red and blue stripes.”

The Venom GT generates its incredible speed from a simple formula: huge power, minimal weight. Its 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 1244 bhp and with only 2743 lb. to accelerate (that’s 1244 kg, hitting that magic 1 bhp/kg mark), the Venom GT is not only the fastest series-produced road car; it’s also the quickest. It holds the Guinness World Record for standing-start acceleration, rocketing from rest to 300 km/h (186 mph) in just 13.63 seconds. Lightweight aluminum construction, carbon-fiber bodywork and featherweight carbon-ceramic brakes all make this extraordinary power/weight ratio possible.

Just three World’s Fastest Edition cars are being built and have already been sold at a price of $1.25 million U.S. This makes the Venom GT WFE not only the fastest but also one of the rarest supercars ever built.

On February 14, 2014, after extensive aerodynamic testing and data logging to verify the CFD aerodynamic model throughout its designed performance range, the Hennessey Venom GT achieved a top speed of 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h). The test session was conducted at the Kennedy Space Center on the Shuttle Landing Facility’s 3.2-mile runway. Brian Smith, Director of Miller Motorsport Park, experienced test driver and vehicle dynamic engineer, drove the Venom GT through all phases of the testing.

The Hennessey Performance team was able to utilize the Shuttle Landing runway via the Performance Power LLC Space Act Agreement. Performance Power collaborates with manufacturers and race teams alike to utilize the shuttle runway for the purposes of engineering validation, safety, innovative product design, and aerodynamic testing. The Hennessey team, its engineers and test driver worked closely with Johnny Bohmer and the Performance Power Team who made this test possible. A representative from VBox USA, world-renowned maker of engineering data-acquisition systems, was on hand to independently verify and document the vehicle’s aerodynamic performance.

“I knew the car had it in it, but it’s satisfying to officially validate the Venom GT’s high-speed stability,” said Hennessey CEO John Hennessey. “We’re elated to have met our goals of aerodynamic stability and crosswind tolerance.”

Validating the Venom GT’s performance, stability and safety at speed on such an incredible runway is why we came here,” said company founder and president John Hennessey. “I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. Neil Armstrong was my childhood hero. Even though the astronaut thing didn’t work out for me, I am humbled to have had the opportunity to conduct our testing on the hallowed grounds of the Kennedy Space Center.”

To date, HPE has built and delivered eleven Venom GTs to owners around the world. Each vehicle is built to order and takes six months to complete. As the production run will be limited to a total of just 29 units worldwide.

The May TopGear Car Pack is on its way! On Tuesday, May 1, ten new cars to race, collect, and appreciate will be available. The pack includes iconic classics from the 1960s and 70s, unique one-off creations, a little 4WD JDM love and some sweet late model production cars. From radical design canvasses to rigs with freakish drift potential, the saying, “something for everyone” is fitting this month. With the May TopGear Car Pack, you can go anywhere, at any speed, and enjoy whatever level of style you see fit.

Hennessey Venom GT to Make
North American Debut at 2010 SEMA Show

October 26, 2010

LAS VEGAS, NV – Hennessey Performance (HPE) will debut the company’s all-new Venom GT mid-engine supercar on November 2, at the 2010 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Powered by a Hennessey-tuned twin-turbo 6.2L V-8 engine, the Venom GT produces 1,200 bhp and 1,155 lb-ft of torque. The Venom GT will be unveiled live at 11:15 a.m. in the Mobil 1 display (booth #24243) located in Hall C3 of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
(more…)