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The Hennessey Venom GT is a high performance sports car manufactured by Texas-based Hennessey Performance Engineering. The Venom is a significantly modified version of the Lotus Elise/Exige.
Speed records
On January 21, 2013, the Venom GT set a Guinness World Record for the fastest production car from 0–186 miles per hour (0–300 km/h) with an average acceleration time of 13.63 seconds. In addition, the car set an unofficial record for 0–200 mph (0–322 km/h) acceleration at 14.51 seconds, beating the Koenigsegg Agera R's time of 17.68 seconds, making it the unofficial fastest accelerating production car in the world.
On April 3, 2013, the Hennessey Venom GT crested 265.7 mph (427.6 km/h) over the course of 2 miles (3.2 km) during testing at United States Naval Air Station Lemoore in Lemoore, California. Hennessey used two VBOX 3i data logging systems to document the run and had VBOX officials on hand to certify the numbers.
On February 14, 2014, on the Kennedy Space Center’s 3.22-mile (5.2 km) shuttle landing strip in Florida, the Hennessey team recorded a top speed of 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h) with Director of Miller Motorsport Park, Brian Smith, driving. As the run was in a single direction, and only 16 cars have been sold to date (to qualify Hennessey must build 30), it does not qualify as the world's fastest production car in the Guinness Book of Records. But that speed of 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h) was, until November 2017, the unofficial fastest one-way record by a production car.
On March 25, 2016 the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder posted a top speed of 265.57 mph (427.4 km/h) at California's Naval Air Station Lemoore, celebrating Hennessey's 25th anniversary. As with previous speed tests, the run was only in a single direction and failed to qualify as a world record. In May 2016 the Hennessey Team revealed that the car was about 300 hp (220 kW) down on power due to issues with one of the car's three high capacity fuel pumps. Normally, the Venom GT Spyder delivers 1,451 hp (1,082 kW) and 1,287 lb⋅ft (1,745 N⋅m) from its forced induction 7.0-liter V8, making it the third most powerful production car at the time, behind the Bugatti Chiron and the Koenigsegg Regera.
Venom GT Spyder
The Venom GT Spyder is an open top version of the Venom GT. Having decided to order a Venom GT, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler approached Hennessey in mid-late 2011 and asked if an open-top version could be created. This involved structural changes which added 30 lb (14 kg) to the curb weight. Tyler's was the first of five cars scheduled for the 2013 model year. The car was later put up for auction on January 20, 2017 and was sold by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona for US$800,000.
The Spyder for the 2016 model year gained 207 hp (154 kW) more for a total of 1,451 hp (1,082 kW).
The production of the Spyder was limited to five units with a one-off Spyder being produced as the "Final edition" model bringing the total to 6 units.
Venom GT "World's Fastest Edition" (2014)
The Venom GT "World's Fastest Edition" is a version of the Venom GT coupe limited to 3 units. The model commemorates the Venom GT coupe's 0–300 km/h Guinness World Record.
The vehicle went on sale for US$1.25 million. All three units were sold to customers shortly after their production was announced by the manufacturer.
Venom GT "Final Edition" (2017)
A single unit of the Venom GT Spyder, called the Final Edition was produced to commemorate the car's six year production run and to mark an end to the production of the Venom GT. The engine output is the same but the curb weight has been decreased by 9 lb (4 kg). The livery of the car is a "Glacier Blue" paint job with double narrow white stripes. The vehicle was already sold for US$1.2 million before it was unveiled.
Venom F5
The Venom GT's successor, the Hennessey Venom F5 was unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 1, 2017, with high expectations of its intended world-beating speed record. Using its project 2.0 second 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) acceleration and projected 301 mph (484 km/h) top speed, Hennessey’s Venom F5 aims to eliminate the Bugatti Chiron and the Koenigsegg Agera on all acceleration and speed factors. The Venom F5 contains a bespoke proprietary 7.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8, making this their first in-house engine. It produces 1,600 hp (1,193 kW; 1,622 PS) and 1,300 lb⋅ft (1,763 N⋅m) of torque. Pennzoil and Shell are partners with Hennessey for the project to help reach the 300 mph (483 km/h) top speed mark. The top speed is claimed to be 301 mph (484 km/h) through a V-MAX speed-tracking system. Hennessey predicts the car can perform 0–186 mph (0–300 km/h) in a time of under 10 seconds and a 0–249 mph (0–400 km/h) time of under 20 seconds. Only 24 will be built with each car costing US$1.6 million.