Hennessey Venom GT Strikes!
The only way I can describe this creation is simply insane! Team Hennessey has collaborated with British developers who created the Lotus and have come up with something absolutely insane, hence the Hennessey Venom GT.
The regular Venom GT (which is expected to clock in around $600k) uses the same engine as HPE’s versions of the Camaro, CTS-V, and ZR-1: an LS9 (6.2L supercharged V8) gets a larger intercooler, bigger injectors, a smaller supercharged drive pulley and larger crank pulley for more boost, and intake and exhaust modifications. The changes are good for a whoppping 725bhp and 741lb-ft of torque (at 2,500rpm!) on 91 octane pump gas. If that much power in a 2,400lb car isn’t insane enough for you, Hennessey has two other engine choices to wet your whistle. There’s a twin-turbocharged LS9 designed to run on 93 octane that makes 1,000bhp and 900lb-ft, and if you really aren’t concerned with your lifespan there’s a 109-octane race-gas version of that motor with 1,200bhp and 1,100lb-ft. I’d imagine that much power is largely academic in an Elise, but who knows?
At this point the question is, what’s been done to keep this thing pointed in a straight line? Well, the basic Elise body/chassis is lengthened, widened, and stiffened at the Lotus factory in England before being shipped to Hennessey Headquarters in Texas. The carbon-fiber widebody was developed using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamic) testing to provide maximum downforce at speed along with the adjustable front and rear spoilers. The suspension is fully adjustable, and 15″ carbon-ceramic brakes with 6 piston front/4 piston rear rotors bring things to a halt, hopefully in time. The Ricardo 6-speed manual transmission has a driver-adjustable traction control system with integrated launch control so you don’t spin around backwards when you punch the gas. And finally, each Venom GT will come with free admission to a driver training course so that you’re not totally in over your head.
Hennessey expects to build approximately 10 Venom GT’s a year, and there are already four orders. While it’s certainly unusual (and certainly the world’s meanest-looking Lotus), the prospect of a 1,000+bhp V8 in a Lotus Elise is hard to ignore. I have no doubt the man will sell every one his company wants to assemble, even at a half-million plus pricetag. Look for the official debut of the Venom GT later this fall. Be sure to subscribe to our blog for all of the latest news in the Automotive industry, Thanks for looking!
More info. on this beautiful crazy machine here!
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