Hennessey’s Venom F5 Revolution ups the downforce, ditches weight

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Hennessey Performance, the well-known American hypercar manufacturer and tuning expert, announced its new Venom F5 Revolution at the beginning of January, the third variant of its Venom F5 in less than three years. Apparently the carmaker has found ways to squeeze even more potential out of its flagship hypercar. 

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“Nothing compares to designing, developing, and refining a race car for the road like the Venom F5 Revolution,” if you ask John “Heinrocket” Heinricy, Chief Engineer for the Venom F5 Revolution project. That’s a telling statement from a man with 38 years of performance-car development experience at General Motors and multiple race and championship wins in his motorsport career. 

The track-focused (yet still road-legal) Revolution is based on the standard Venom F5 coupe, but the new car seeks to add more downforce and better handling capabilities with a lighter frame and a host of aerodynamic tweaks. A clear design standout is the new adjustable rear wing that, according to Hennessey, delivers 800 lbs of downforce at 186 mph (300 km/h) and over 1,400 lbs of downforce at 249 mph (400 km/h). A prominent front splitter, extended rear diffuser, dive planes positioned on the front fascia, and an onboard track telemetry system are other key components that uphold the Venom F5 Revolution’s track-ready credentials.

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The suspension settings are even more aggressive, and the Revolution is fitted with adjustable dampers that allow track-side calibration with simple tools. Also, new forged alloy wheels present a larger contact patch for improved cornering grip and enhanced braking.

Cooled by a roof-mounted central air scoop is a twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre “Fury” V8 engine that puts out a thumping 1,817 hp and 1,193 lb-ft of torque, making it one of the most powerful purely combustion hypercars out there. That’s the same power output the Venom F5 Coupe and roadster variants offer. However, the Venom F5 Revolution, at less than 3,000 lbs, is the lightest of the trio, and, consequently, boasts the best power-to-weight ratio. 

Hennessey will unveil the Venom F5 Revolution at the Miami Motorcar Cavalcade Concours d’Elegance event on January 15. Don’t wait ’til then if you want one, though. The carmaker only plans to make 24 units, each priced at US$2.7 million, and Hennessey says many of the Revolution models have already been sold to “passionate hypercar fans.”