Hennessey readies for 300mph challenge
The race to 300mph is on. And no, it’s not already been won by Bugatti, if you’re being picky about two-way averages and production representative cars. The battle will be between Hennessy and Koenigsegg, with both saying they want to get the job done this year with the Jesko Absolut and Venom F5 hypercars.
Hennessey has more reason than most to gun for records this year, though, given it’ll be ten years since its last overall speed record. Yes, the Venom GT managed its 270.49mph record in 2014, beating out the Bugatti Veyron Supersport’s 268.86mph to the top step. Now with Koenigsegg taking the verified record in 2017, Hennessey wants to be the first to get the two-way run to 300mph.
The Venom F5 is a car that’s been in the works for a while, with the design first revealed back in 2017. The finished article has come together very publicly over the last couple of years and now 22 of them are with owners.
Hennessey is in a similar position to Koenigsegg in the speed record process, in that it’s on the hunt for an appropriate venue to fully unleash its 1,830PS hypercar. Hennessey reckons the car has proven to be good for 328mph in its simulators, which is a fair heft over the base triple tonne. It’s already passed 270mph in testing on a NASA runway with relative ease, so the car is raring to go.
As for sportsmanship? It’s really going around when it comes to hypercar top speeds, with John Hennessey and Christian Von Koenigsegg really egging each other on. Honestly, it’s great to see. We can’t wait to see how it all plays out.
"I love that Koenigsegg is gearing up for big speed,” Hennessey said.
“I hope that Bugatti joins the party too – it’s rivalries like this that fuel our passion, and drive us to go faster, innovate more, and push harder! With 22 customer cars delivered and a newly expanded engineering team, we’re well placed to refocus our attention on enabling the Venom F5 to deliver on its potential.
“Our hypercar has a simulated theoretical top speed of 328mph, but we’re certainly not chasing that number. Breaking 300mph in two directions is this year’s goal, while hitting 500km/h (310.8mph) in one direction would be the ultimate way of celebrating the internal combustion engine!”
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