"Fucking crazy!" this is what occurs to us, but regardless of our opinion, this will happen. Hennessey's goal for the Venom F5 has gone up to 500 km/h of maximum speed… in a car approved for use on public roads (!).
Currently, the top speed record belongs to the Koenigsegg Agera RS , having established 446.97 km/h — average of two passes — momentarily reaching 457 km/h.
Records were made to be broken… And it didn't take long for the first threats to the Swedish record. Across the Atlantic, Hennessey's North Americans unveiled the Venom F5, heralding a top speed of 301 mph or 484 km/h. A substantial difference to the value achieved by Agera RS.
Only more recently, another candidate has emerged from the shadows. SSC, also a former top speed recordist with the Ultimate Aero TT, has re-emerged from the shadows with the production version of Tuatara , a machine we know as a prototype in the distant year of 2011. They too want the v-max record, with over 300 mph as their goal.
Hennessey's answer didn't wait… It's just been announced that the Venom F5 will not only be able to reach an imperial 300 mph, but also reach an incredible 500 km/h (310.7 mph) metric. This is in accordance with the results obtained in the simulation, which refer to 1541 hp to reach 300 mph, a value below the announced 1622 hp extracted from the twin-turbo V8 with 7600 cm3 that will equip the Venom F5.
Doubts
The SSC Tuatara also comes with a Biturbo V8, with 5.9 l, but capable of delivering 1770 hp (with E85), and, importantly, with an aerodynamic coefficient (Cx) of just 0.279 — the Hennessey Venom F5 is 150 hp behind and the Cx is 0.33, so the SSC calls the Tuatara the only one with a “legitimate opportunity” to hit 300 mph.
When asked about this statement by SSC North America, John Hennessey, CEO of Hennessey Performance Engineering replied (in the original English, so as not to lose anything in the translation), “the bullshit stops when the green flag drops”. Challenge accepted…
It is speculated that Hennessey may be developing a “low drag” variant of the Venom F5 (of which there will only be 24 units) to reach 500 km/h.
We will have to wait until the end of 2019 to confirm all these claims, when both the Hennessey Venom F5 and the SSC Tuatara move from words and simulations to actions...
And Koenigsegg?
Christian von Koenigsegg will certainly not want to lose the title of having the fastest car on the planet. After having categorically beaten the Bugatti Chiron in every way possible, a new generation of “monsters” are about to come out.
The first is the well-known Regera, a unique hybrid, and the second Christian, should have higher accelerations than the Agera RS — but will it get a higher top speed? The answer to these questions is expected to happen sometime during the next year.
But perhaps the greatest hope to keep the title at home will lie with the successor to Agera RS, which is already in development. Next year we will have a first glimpse of the new model, albeit as a prototype, with production scheduled to start in 2020.
Let the games begin…