- HPE has released photos of its Venom GT supercar.
- The supercar combines a lightweight Lotus Elise chassis with an LS9 power plant derived from the Corvette ZR1, good for 725 horsepower.
- Hennessey says the Venom GT will cost approximately $600,000.
SEALY, Texas — Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has released photos of the Venom GT supercar. The supercar combines a lightweight Lotus Elise chassis with an LS9 power plant derived from the Corvette ZR1.
Power comes from a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8 that makes 725 horsepower and about 741 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed Ricardo gearbox. Two other twin-turbo variants will also be available, rated at 1,000 and 1,200 hp. Fifteen-inch Brembo brakes with six-piston front calipers and four-piston rear calipers help bring the Venom GT to a stop.
HPE says the car will have a production curb weight of just 2,400 pounds thanks to its lightweight carbon-fiber bodywork and wheels, wrapped in Michelin PS2 tires. The aero kit was computational fluid dynamic tested and includes an adjustable rear wing that deploys under different conditions. Like the wing, the suspension will also adjust ride height depending on the driver's cruising speed.
Hennessey will build the engines in its Texas facility and send the power plants to Silverstone, England, for the supercar to be completely assembled. Only 10 vehicles a year will be made, and the company already has orders for four. John Hennessey told Inside Line that the car is set to cost upwards of $600,000.
All Venom GT buyers will also be offered a one-day driver orientation and instruction program at a track in the U.K. or U.S. before delivery.
Inside Line says: With such a high power-to-weight ratio, the Venom GT's performance numbers are definitely going to be impressive. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent
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lzks says:
05:34 AM, 03/30/2010
Not "their" supercar. It's just a fusion between ZR1 and elise. And the exterior just looks like some modded elise;; Pushing any performance achievement aside, who's insane enough to pay 600k for a modded elise?
cmike2780 says:
09:10 PM, 03/29/2010
Drool....the streched body kind of looks like a McLaren F1 from the side.
Add some racing slicks and you got yourself a GT LM racecar...Heck, I don't think this would even be legal for that type of racing... ask any racer and they'll tell you $600k is a steal for a racecar with this power to weight ratio.
725 lbs of torque for a car that weights in at 2,400 lbs will launch this thing like an F-16 with the right set of tires... and yes you can get traction with a car with over 1000 hp..never seen a top fuel dragster I guess.
I wonder if TopGear will have this on...I think it will be faster than than the Gumpert Apollo.
The Ultimate Aero is a great car, but boy is it ugly..looks like a 3rd grader designed it. Still an impressive piece of engineering though. Respect.
jjzwak says:
05:26 PM, 03/29/2010
2.2 lb/hp...thats pretty ridiculous. seems more like a racecar than super car. certainly looks cool enough.
don_83 says:
01:45 PM, 03/29/2010
there are simply better cars out there for half the price and from some big names. This is good try , if you really wanted to sell it then try ($150K)
zoomzoomn says:
12:45 PM, 03/29/2010
Kind of looks like what a Viper would be if it were mid engined!
hollowtek says:
12:18 PM, 03/29/2010
damn this is exactly how i imagined a lotus to be. unfortunately they're tiny, cramped little cars. my only quall with this car is the price- almost a dozen lotuses. but i suppose it's a small price to pay for one's extravagant ego.
griffilicious says:
12:04 PM, 03/29/2010
Beastly.
fordgt1000 says:
09:47 AM, 03/29/2010
Nice.... but Ill stay with the Ford Hennessey GT 1000 jaja
feloniousmonk says:
09:44 AM, 03/29/2010
So... who is Hennessey stealing those 10 Elises per annum from?
iskch says:
09:26 AM, 03/29/2010
A recipe for destruction. Traction, tracion, traction you can add all the horsepower you want but will go up in smoke.