RE: First Venom GT Leaves The Factory
Monday 14th June 2010
A bit of Wagner seems a fitting background track to a video (see below) of the first production-ready Venom GT supercar, which has just left the Hennessey Performance UK production facility at Silverstone destined for a customer in the United Arab Emirates.
"This is the fulfillment of a dream that I have had since I was a kid," says company founder, John Hennessey. "But it is also just the beginning as we begin to demonstrate the performance capabilities of the Venom GT in the near future."
Harnessing this power is a chassis that is a far cry from the Lotus Elise from which it's derived. Aside from reusing the windshield, doors, roof, floor, dash and various trim components, the Venom GT's design and construction has been engineered from the ground up. An all-new front and rear space frame and suspension is cloaked in a new carbon fibre body, sporting an adjustable rear wing for exceptional high-speed stability.
Each Venom GT is built in Silverstone with power plants sourced from HPE's Texas headquarters. Available in both left and right-hand drive configuration, the Venom GT is 'an international supercar fusing the power and emotion of American V8 muscle with the refinement of Britain's renowned racing heritage', the company says.
First Venom GT Leaves The Factory
Video/Gallery: Official pics of Lotus-derived supercar by Hennessey Performance
The top tier model, this first production Venom is powered by a twin turbocharged Chevrolet LS-series aluminum V8 producing 1200hp and 1135lb ft mated to a 6-speed Ricardo manual transaxle (the same as found in the Ford GT). Boasting a dry weight of just 1156kgs and a kerb weight of 1218kgs with a full tank of fuel, the car delivers on its promise of an astounding power-to-weight ratio.
Production levels of the Venom GT range from the base 725hp supercharged LS9 V8 unveiled in the original prototype car to 1000 hp and 1200hp twin turbo V8 variants. Each vehicle is painted and its interior crafted to each owner's specification, offering the opportunity for one-off exclusivity.
| 2011 Hennessey Venom GT Specifications |
| Engine Block Size Position Compression Redline Forced Induction Oiling System Valvetrain Fuel System |
Chevrolet LS V8 Aluminum 376 CID (6.2 Liter) Mid Longitudinal 8.8:1 7,200 rpm Twin Ball Bearing Turbochargers Dry Sump OHV, 2 Valves per Cylinder Sequential Multi-Port Electronic Fuel Injection |
| Power Horsepower Torque Specific Output BHP / Weight Boost Fuel |
1,030 bhp @ 6,500 rpm (933 rear wheel hp) 972 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm (874 rear wheel lb-ft) 166 bhp / Liter 767.23 hp per ton (2.61 lbs / hp) 16 psi (1.1 bar) 93 octane |
| Transmission Type Gear Ratios Final Drive |
Ricardo 6-Speed Manual 2.61:1, 1.71:1, 1.23:1, 0.94:1, 0.77:1; 0.63:1 3.36:1 |
| Speed by Gear Redline 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th |
7,200 rpm 68 mph 104 145 190 232 260 (6,600 rpm) |
| Performance 0 - 100 km/h 0 - 200 km/h 0 - 300 km/h |
2.9 sec 7.0 sec 14.9 sec |
| Aerodynamics Drag Coefficient Downforce |
0.36 (rear wing down); 0.43 (wing raised) 1,492 lbs @ 150 mph |
| Brakes Calipers Rotors |
Brembo 6-piston (all 4 corners) 15.0 x 1.34 in Carbon Ceramic (all 4 corners) |
| Suspension Type Ride Height |
KW Variant 3 Adjustable Coilover (all 4 corners) Adjustable by 2.4 inches (60 mm) |
| Dimensions Length Width Wheelbase Track - Front Track - Rear |
15.27 ft (4,655 mm) 6.43 ft (1,960 mm) 110.24 in (2,800 mm) 63.46 in (1,612 mm) 63.15 in (1,604 mm) |
| Weight & Measurements Curb Weight Dry Weight F/R Balance Fuel Capacity |
2,685 lbs (1,220 kilo) 2,524 lbs (1,147 kilo) 37/63 (empty); 44/56 (with driver & passenger) 18.5 gal (70 liter) |
| Wheels & Tires Tire - Front Tire - Rear Wheel - Front Wheel - Rear |
235/30/20 Michelin PS2 335/30/20 Michelin PS2 8.5 x 20 in 12.5 x 20 in |
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Click 'play' to view:
Discussion
I want...sadly my bank-account says you can not.
lovely car though.
said:
Dimensions
Length
Width
Wheelbase
Track - Front
Track - Rear
15.27 ft (4,655 mm)
6.43 ft (1,960 mm)
110.24 in (2,800 mm)
63.46 in (1,612 mm)
63.15 in (1,604 mm)
its quiet long with 4.655mm...also a long wheelbase with 2.800mm but it makes the car more stable at high speeds I guess.Length
Width
Wheelbase
Track - Front
Track - Rear
15.27 ft (4,655 mm)
6.43 ft (1,960 mm)
110.24 in (2,800 mm)
63.46 in (1,612 mm)
63.15 in (1,604 mm)
lovely car though.
all these american dream boys drive me insane!! "we are gonna build a car with 1000 bhp OR 1200bhp OR 1020 bhp blah blah blah" its pathetic! the gm v8 engines are far too over rated and im quite frankly sick of hearing about them. why not build 1 version of car and say - "this is it - its for sale buy if you want"
set one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
set one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
Swifty Stig said:
all these american dream boys drive me insane!! "we are gonna build a car with 1000 bhp OR 1200bhp OR 1020 bhp blah blah blah" its pathetic! the gm v8 engines are far too over rated and im quite frankly sick of hearing about them. why not build 1 version of car and say - "this is it - its for sale buy if you want"
set one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
set one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
That's like saying why do Ford make the Focus ST when everyone could just buy a 1.6 diesel. If there are so few carry over parts why did they not take the opportunity to visually differentiate it from the Exige? Regardless of its claimed performance, very few potential buyers with $1m to spend are going to look at this and think anything other than "really expensive Lotus based kit-car". The depth and quality of engineering will frankly be lost as they have been with so many manufacturers who do massive under the skin model-year updates that are missed by buyers who simply want it to look new and different.
Swifty Stig said:
all these american dream boys drive me insane!! "we are gonna build a car with 1000 bhp OR 1200bhp OR 1020 bhp blah blah blah" its pathetic! the gm v8 engines are far too over rated and im quite frankly sick of hearing about them. why not build 1 version of car and say - "this is it - its for sale buy if you want"
set one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
Over rated? You dont half talk bset one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
ks!Swifty Stig said:
all these american dream boys drive me insane!! "we are gonna build a car with 1000 bhp OR 1200bhp OR 1020 bhp blah blah blah" its pathetic! the gm v8 engines are far too over rated and im quite frankly sick of hearing about them. why not build 1 version of car and say - "this is it - its for sale buy if you want"
set one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
You think any engine that can produce over 1200hp is overrated? the engine is the only thing I would trust in this carset one price and be done with it. stupid americans and their v8s........
I think it's ace, although a shame that the interior is still so very much an Elise. I know they want to keep the weight down, but with that much power, I'd happily sacrifice another 10kg for a bit of leather and alcantara.
After all the 'teaser' videos, I think it's about time we saw some proper footage of the car on track.
After all the 'teaser' videos, I think it's about time we saw some proper footage of the car on track.
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