Hennessey Special Vehicles, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer, has announced plans to build its most engaging, physical, and driver-focused hypercar to-date – the Venom F5-M Roadster – the world’s most powerful manual production car.
Focused around a gated six-speed manual transmission, the core purpose of the significantly re-engineered Venom F5-M is to amplify the sensation of driving. Alongside the sensory magnification enabled by the open cockpit, Hennessey opted for a physical transmission connection over any electronic interference. The team’s engineers worked hard to merge captivating interaction, mind-bending performance, and full-sensory feedback, with the mighty Fury V8 engine’s 1,817 bhp – placing the driver right at the heart of the beast.
Working with the company’s experienced calibration team, Hennessey’s engineering guru Brian Jones remapped the engine to pair it with new gearing ratios. Optimizing the set-up for exhilaration and stimulation, the team balanced thrill against the scientific realities of manually transferring 1,817 bhp to the road via the rear wheels. The graduated application of power will guarantee the Venom F5-M devastating acceleration, while harnessing power delivery to achieve control as speed increases.
Just 12 Venom F5-M Roadster models will be built – all are already sold – each priced from $2.65 million and featuring a unique livery exclusive to the model range. Alongside every customer stamping their own mark on their car with one-off colors and unique carbon fiber treatments, the manual Venom F5 will stand apart from the rest of the range in a host of ways inside and out. One of the most obvious differences is the addition of a huge 55-inch (1,400 mm) dorsal fin that stretches from the roof-mounted air scoop right to the trailing edge of the rear deck.
Within the cockpit, a redesigned interior heroes the elevated aluminum and carbon fiber gear shifter – positioned precisely, close to the driver, to facilitate the perfect shift. Honed for feel, and physically connected to the gearbox, the shifter sits in pride of place within a six-speed gate – milled from billet aluminum. This blend of driver touchpoints, physicality of operation, and total connection with the machinery of the hypercar integrates perfectly with Hennessey’s obsessive attention to detail and the highest levels of skilled craftmanship.
The new open-top manual Hennessey hypercar stands on the shoulders of the current World Record holding Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, which is still the world’s fastest convertible road car. Also sporting a six-speed manual, the Venom GT set the world’s fastest open top speed in 2016, achieving 265.6 mph – a record held to this day.
AutoBrief Snippets
- Six-speed gated manual at core of most intense and engaging driving experience of any road car
- Full 1,817 bhp demands maximum attention and delivers extreme, utterly immersive driving experience
- Extensively re-engineered Venom F5-M also features interior and exterior changes, including distinctive aero enhancements
- Only 12 Venom F5-M Roadsters will be built – all are sold