Hennessey Special Vehicles, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer, has revealed the Venom F5 Evolution, the world’s most powerful internal combustion road car, according to the company. In partnership with world-renowned performance and aerodynamic specialists, Hennessey’s team of engineers conducted an extensive development program to further enhance the hypercar’s capabilities.
Hennessey says the new Venom F5 Evolution has increased power and torque, updated aerodynamics for improved downforce, new mode-adaptive suspension for enhanced handling and ride quality, plus an optional touring exhaust system and touring seats.
John Hennessey, company founder and CEO, said, “During the past three years, we’ve delivered nearly 30 F5s to clients all around the world. Some of our owners requested even more power, which led us to develop the new Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution—the world’s most powerful internal combustion-powered hypercar.”
The Improved Fury Engine
Hennessey’s long-standing relationship with Shell Pennzoil and Roger Penske led to a partnership with high-performance engineering specialists Ilmor Engineering to further develop Hennessey’s 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, code-named “Fury.” Ilmor and Hennessey’s engineering teams significantly enhanced key elements of the engine and powertrain, including:
- Precision 76/80 Next Gen turbochargers—the largest mirror image turbos in the world
- Ilmor-designed oval-shaped billet aluminum pistons with optimized profile geometry
- Extreme-duty billet aluminum connecting rods
- Lightweight titanium exhaust valves
- Lightweight valve covers
- Larger high-flow fuel injectors
The result is a powerful and durable new engine design that enables a 0-200 mph time of just 10.3 seconds, while also being capable of client endurance racing, noted the press release. Ilmor’s refinements also delivered an additional 214 bhp, boosting the Fury engine to 2,031 bhp at 8,000 rpm and 1,445 pound-feet of torque at 5,200 rpm on Shell E85 pump fuel.
Suspension & Aerodynamics of the Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution
The F5 Evolution’s new adaptive suspension enables the driver to select various power modes via the steering-wheel-mounted toggle. Ride, handling, roll, pitch and steering responsiveness are automatically set for anything from track driving to cruising. The new suspension is individually tuned to the Venom F5’s five selectable modes: Sport, Road Race, Drag, Wet and the full-power F5 Mode.
Working with renowned Formula One and IndyCar aerodynamicist Dr. Mark Handford, the team studied the whole car’s aerodynamics in new levels of detail. The results saw a complete redesign of the front splitter, with the most significant changes made to the underside of the car. The Hennessey team also added single dive planes ahead of each front wheel, tire wake deflectors to the underside of the car and a louvre above each front wheel arch. Working in partnership with the new suspension, a new Gurney lip at the trailing edge of the rear deck spoiler enhances high-speed stability under acceleration and braking.
Touring Options for Comfort and Long-Distance Driving
Hennessey’s design and engineering team developed a set of Touring options. The optional enhancements include alternatives to the lightweight carbon bucket seats and sports exhaust, even extending to the addition of a carbon fiber drinks holder. Following anthropometric studies, additional bolstering was added to the optional Touring Carbon Seats for longer distance driving. Retaining an exposed carbon back, the new leather-wrapped Touring seats also feature a laser-cut “blast off’ design to accentuate the aerospace-inspired interior.
The Evolution package (enhanced engine, suspension and aerodynamics) is available for both newly ordered F5 models and to all existing Venom F5 owners across the Coupe, Roadster and Revolution models. The cost for the Evolution package is $285,000, with the optional Touring upgrades available at an additional cost.