This phase of testing saw the engine tuned to 900 horsepower.
The third production car that breaks the 300-mph barrier is in development. Hennessey Performance is currently evaluating the aerodynamic properties its Venom hypercar in real world situations. The first phase of three evaluation phases was completed recently, with the car reaching 200 mph.
Testing began at Hennessey’s Texas facility in February, before moving to an Arkansas former U.S. Air Force facility. John Heinricy, Hennessey Performance chief engineer, was able to achieve the milestone using a runway of 2.2 miles. The 900 horsepower (or approximately half) of the 1,817 HP (1,355kW) twin-turbocharged V8 engine from Hennessey Performance was used for this stage.
Heinricy stated that “every part of our development program focuses on making the Venom F5 as good as possible before customer deliveries begin towards the end of the year.” The next phase will be the most intense and focus on the car’s driving characteristics. As we collect data, refine each element and create this hypercar, we will split our testing between Texas roads and race tracks.
Hennessey Performance reports that the first phase was a success. The second phase will focus on driver feedback and handling. Phase two will be held at several tracks, including Laguna Seca and Circuit of the Americas. The testing will take place on a variety of roads for data collection. While Hennessey “unleashes” the powerful V8 engine in the first phase, the full potential will not be discovered until the final testing phase. This is when acceleration, high speed stability and braking will all be tested. It’s also where top speed runs are likely to be performed.
Hennessey was beaten to the 300-mph mark by Bugatti as well as SSC. However, there were many controversy over each attempt. The Chiron Super Sport 300+ first recorded a speed of 304 mph in the prototype Longtail form. The speed was not official as the made only one pass. This means that potential effects of elevation changes and wind speeds cannot be cancelled out. Electronically, the production version will have a speed limit of 273 mph.
SSC was shocked when the Tuatara claimed a top speed of 331 mph in October 2020. This included a pass that saw it reach an astonishing 331 mph during its return run. Later, it was revealed that the footage of the run didn’t accurately reflect the speed of the vehicle and that the company that provided the equipment couldn’t verify the data , casting doubt on the validity of the attempt. SSC then followed up with another run on a smaller stretch of asphalt and reached a combined speed record of 282.9 mph, claiming the title of world’s fastest-produced car. SSC plans to run additional runs that exceed 300 mph.
Hennessey targets 311 mph in the Venom F5 and, if everything goes according to plan, it could happen this fall.