With a 7-litre V8 pumping-out 1,451 hp, the Hennessey Venom GT may have arguably reached its performance pinnacle. So, one would wonder what’s the next logical step for the American company?
Well, for starters, an evolution of the omnipotent automobile; but that’s not all, as John Hennessey, the company’s founder, is apparently considering a potential 1000 hp electric hypercar as well.
In an interview with Top Gear at the SEMA show, the man behind one of the most powerful cars to roll the earth stated:
“We’re considering doing something with electricity. We’ve looked at it and I’ve got friends in that field, I’m just waiting for the batteries to become lighter and have more capacity. But I don’t think that’s far away.”
It seems that batteries and weight are still the main “issues” responsible for throwing many car makers off the electric sports-car trail (or the electric hyper-car trail, in this case). Nevertheless, Hennessey seems determined to continue the saga one way or the other, excluding a possible hybrid variant:
“Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren have done a great job at proving that hybrid technology works, but I’m not interested in hybrids. I’d only do the Venom with an engine or as a straight electric”.
It remains to be seen if the Venom will take on another responsibility in the form of an electric super-machine; in the meantime, the British magazine reports that Hennessey hasn’t yet specified a power output for the Venom GT’s successor – the F5 – because he’s waiting to see what Bugatti will bring to the table with the Chiron.
The Hennessey Venom F5 will boast the same powertrain as the GT, but it will have its own bespoke chassis, a carbon fiber monocoque, a paddle shift, single-clutch transmission, and it will weigh a bit more than the 1,244kg outgoing model.
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