Hennessey Says High-Downforce Venom F5 GTR Under Consideration

It was a long, arduous journey for the Hennessey Venom F5. First announced in 2014, it took the American tuner/niche automaker more than half a decade to introduce the production version of the Venom F5. Back then, the goal was touted to be 290 miles per hour (467 kilometers per hour) for the hypercar's top speed.

Regardless, Hennessey delivered and gave birth to a belly-busting fossil fuel-burner in December 2020 – one powered by a twin-turbo 6.6-liter V8 that makes 1,817-horsepower (1,354 kilowatts) and 1,193 pound-feet (1,617 Newton-meters) of torque. Better yet, it has a claimed top speed of 311 mph (500 km/h).

But John Hennessey isn't stopping there. In an interview with Top Gear, Hennessey said that at some point, a high-downforce GTR-type version of the Venom F5 "would be cool to do."

That isn't the primary focus now, though. Hennessey admitted that they are focusing on getting the Venom F5 up to spec. Despite getting questions about making a track-focused car and any other derivatives, the company is "focused on the car as it is," Hennessey said in the Top Gear interview.

Apart from being focused on building the car, Hennessey didn't deny previous reports about his company's desire to take on the Nurburgring. Don't expect ludicrous lap times, though, as he said that they're not trying to do five minutes at the Green Hell. At best, Hennessey sees a proper lap under seven minutes.

For those who fear electrification, Hennessey confirmed that there won't be an electrified version of the Venom F5.

"We’ll see what the future holds, but I can tell you that the F5 will only ever be internal combustion," Hennessey said in the interview with Top Gear.