There is a Texas company named Hennessey, named after its founder, that builds bespoke and very limited-run hypercars. The Venom F5 is their ‘base’ car, and the name says it all. Venom is snake poison, and the F5 is the highest rating on the Fujita scale for tornadoes, signifying extreme wind speeds of up to 318 mph. And that is the target speed for the Venom F5.
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The motivation for the Venom F5 was to build the fastest American Hypercar, with speeds beyond 300 mph, to take on the likes of Bugatti and Koenigsegg. The idea of the Venom F5 dates back to 2014, and in 2017 a concept mockup was shown at SEMA in Las Vegas. The F5 was preceded by a one-off called the Venom GT, a heavily modified Lotus Elise platform fitted with a massive twin-turbo V8. It is said that the GT went over 270 mph. Now the company had to build a car with a bespoke carbon fiber chassis and a custom-designed engine.
Fury – A Twin Turbo V8 Masterpiece
The heart of the Venom F5 beats as a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8, called the Fury. The V8 is the traditional American muscle, but the classic V8 layout was boosted with cutting-edge internals and forced induction to extract the maximum power. The character of the engine was American, and the performance could meet and beat the best from Europe.
Venom F5 Powertrain
The Fury engine, custom-built by Hennessey, comes with staggering headline figures. This is a mid-mounted, 90-degree 6.6-liter V8 with twin turbos. When launched in 2020, the Fury was the most powerful engine yet fitted in a production car. It produced 1,817 brake horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 1,193 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. The engine can rev up to 8,200 rpm. It is a pushrod unit, a configuration often used by Hennessey in earlier tuning, and this makes the engine more compact with a lower center of gravity. The engine weighs 627 pounds, and the power density is 277 horsepower per liter.
The engine has a cast-iron block, aluminum cylinder heads, titanium intake valves, and Inconel exhaust valves. The connecting rods and pistons are forged, while the crankshaft and camshaft are both made from billet steel. The precision turbochargers have ball bearings and deliver up to 23 psi of boost. Drive is to the rear wheels through a seven-speed CIMA single-clutch automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential.
A Light And Slippery Body
The Venom F5 is built in Sealy, Texas, but the first car was constructed in the UK, where the 190-pound carbon fiber tub was crafted by K.S. Composites, near Silverstone.
Most of the body is also carbon fiber, except the roof, and front and rear sub-frames, which are made from aluminum. Mechanically, the F5 is quite simple. There is a control-arm suspension at each wheel, with coil springs and adjustable reservoir dampers. The curb weight is only 3,035 pounds.
The production car does not have the active aerodynamics used on the concept model. It has a bigger rear diffuser and alters the downforce by varying the ride height to change the angle of the airflow. The Venom F5 is a remarkably aerodynamic car with a CD of only 0.39.
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From F5 To Track-Ready Revolution
When the Venom F5 was launched in 2020, Hennessey promised a more track-focused version. The new car, called the Venom F5 Revolution, was launched in 2023 as a Coupe and a Roadster, like the first Venom F5. It is track-focused, but street legal.
Venom F5 Revolution
The F5 Revolution is nearly identical to the first Venom F5, with the same engine and most of the same underpinnings. The aerodynamics have been reworked, with a large rear wing added, revised suspension, engine cooling, and digital telemetry. Although street legal, customers who intend to use this car mainly on the track can choose from a range of options, including track-tuned suspension, a five-point harness, and a racing spec adjustable rear wing. The Revolution has lost some weight as well, coming in under 3,000 pounds.
Track Cred
The Revolution has genuine track credibility and claimed to break the COTA production car lap record by 0.43 seconds, which makes it the fastest ever road-going hypercar on this circuit. Its flying lap broke the 2.11.33 time set by a Czinger C21, and outpaced the McLaren P1 record of 2.17.12 by nearly seven seconds. It also reached 193 mph on the 1,016-meter back straight.
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The Evolution Of The Revolution
In 2025, Hennessey announced the Venom F5 Evolution, among the most powerful internal combustion road cars in the world. Performance, handling, and comfort were all enhanced.
The Evolution has more power and torque, updated aerodynamics, and increased downforce, as well as new mode-adaptive suspension for better handling and ride quality. Daily drivability can be improved with an optional touring exhaust and touring seats.
Engine
Hennessey, with long-standing partners Pennzoil and Roger Penske, worked with high-performance engineering specialists Ilmor Engineering to develop the 6.6-liter V8 even further, taking the power to 2031 brake horsepower at 8,000 rpm and torque to 1445 pound-feet at 5,200 rpm.
This was achieved by using Precision 76/80 Next Gen turbochargers, the largest mirror image turbos in the world. Ilmor created oval-shaped billet aluminum pistons with optimized profile geometry, lightweight valve covers, and larger high-flow fuel injectors.
Suspension, Aerodynamics, And Comfort
The F5 Evolution received a new adaptive suspension that allows the driver to change power modes with a wheel-mounted control. Ride, handling, roll, pitch, and steering can all be set for anything from track racing to comfortable cruising. Aerodynamics were improved with a new front splitter. Under the car, single dive planes were added ahead of each front wheel, as well as tire wake deflectors. These and other modifications improved high-speed stability during acceleration and braking.
Hypercars are fast, but notoriously uncomfortable to drive. The ride is bumpy and noisy, and the seats are hard and cramped. So Hennessey has given the Evolution a set of touring options, allowing owners to take their cars on longer trips. These include leather-clad touring carbon seats and even carbon fiber cupholders. These refinements can be fitted to the earlier F5 models as well.
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American Muscle Among Titans: Similar US Cars And Carmakers
While the F5 family of cars is the most extreme among American performance cars, powerful V8 models are plentiful in the land of the brave. Hennessey still has a tuning division that modifies production cars, often with twin turbos. These include Camaros, Hellcats, Broncos, and more.
SSC Tuatara
The Tuatara is made by SSC North America and is the closest competitor to the F5 in the US. It uses a 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 that makes up to 1,750 horsepower on E85 fuel. This car is also mainly made of carbon fiber and has advanced aerodynamics. The Tuatara, in some configurations, is also chasing the 300 mph goal.
Mustang Shelby And Corvette ZR1
Cars like the Venom F5 and the superquick Europeans are aberrations in the normal world of performance motoring. Most drivers, even if they could handle the power, would struggle to find places to drive normal muscle cars like the now-discontinued 750-horsepower Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, never mind the current 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1.
Source: Hennessey Performance