Combining the best of the Lotus Elise and Chevrolet Corvette is the Hennessey’s Venom GT. It’s a nod to past supercars that were born from British design and American power like the Sunbeam Tiger, Shelby Cobra and Ford GT40.

With a thoroughly modern chassis from the Elise and more than enough power from the LS9 V8, the Venom set the world record for production cars in February of 2014 when Brian Smith drove a Venom to 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h) on the Kennedy Space Center space shuttle landing runway.

Venom body updates were done by Steve Everitt who has designed VenomAero kits for Hennessey dating back to 1996. His design shows a low-slung coupe which has a retractable rear wing, low frontal area and deep air intakes on the side as well as the roof.

Press Release:

Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) is pleased to introduce the first official images of its Venom GT supercar. Based upon the Lotus Elise, the Venom GT combines a high-tech, lightweight British chassis with a powerful American V8.

“This is not the first time that Britain and America have joined forces to produce a weapon of mass propulsion”, said company founder and president, John Hennessey. “Over fifty years ago the American-built P51 Mustang fighter aircraft was flown into history powered by a British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Today the Hennessey Venom GT promises to set a new standard of power to weight ratio in the rarified air of today’s supercar market.”

SOMETIMES LESS EQUALS MORE

In the case of the Venom GT, less weight means more performance. The Venom GT will have a production curb weight of less than 2,400 lbs (1,071 kilos) aided by its lightweight carbon fiber bodywork and carbon fiber wheels. Stopping power is delivered via Brembo brakes with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston calipers in rear clamping down on 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors.

SOMETIMES MORE EQUALS MORE

The Venom GT’s base power plant is the supercharged 6.2 liter LS9 V8 (the same as in the Corvette ZR1) tweaked by HPE to 725 bhp. The company will also be offering 1000 bhp and 1200 bhp twin turbo V8 engine variants. The mid-engine V8 will transmit its power to the rear tires via a Ricardo 6-speed gearbox.

POWER WITH CONTROL

Hennessey plans to manage power output by using a programmable traction control system. CFD (computational fluid dynamic) tested bodywork and down force will also help keep the Venom stable at speed. An active aero system with adjustable rear wing will deploy under varying conditions on both the road and racetrack. An adjustable suspension system will allow ride height adjustments according to speed and driving conditions. Finally, power will be put to the ground via massive Michelin PS2 tires at all four corners.

POWERED BY THE USA, BUILT IN THE UK

Hennessey will be building the power plants at its Texas facility. The engines will then be air freighted to the company’s assembly facility near Silverstone, England where the Venom GT is built and tested. Venom GT buyer will be offered a 1-day driver orientation and instruction program by a Hennessey factory test driver, at a track in the UK or USA prior to delivery.

LIMITED PRODUCTION

The company plans to establish a network of Venom GT dealers and distributors in the Middle East, Europe, Russia, Australia and Asia. Production is limited to just 10 vehicles per year and the company already has orders for 4 Venom GT’s.

Hennessey Venom GT Gallery

See full 2010 Hennessey Venom GT Gallery here

Specs & Performance

submitted by	Richard Owen
type	Limited Production Car
built at	Sealey, Texas, USA
body stylist	Steve Everitt
engineers	John Heinracy
production	30
price $	$ 950,000
engine	Chevrolet LS2 V8
position	Mid, Longitudinal
aspiration	Twin Garrett Ball Bearing Turbochargers
block material	Cast Aluminum w/A356-T6 Heads
valvetrain	Pushrod OHV, 2 Valves w/Cyl
fuel feed	Electronic Fuel Injection
displacement	6205 cc / 378.65 in³
bore	103.6 mm / 4.1 in
stroke	92 mm / 3.6 in
compression	8.8:1
power	894.8 kw / 1200 bhp @ 6500 rpm
specific output	193.39 bhp per litre
bhp/weight	984.41 bhp per tonne
torque	1155 nm / 851.9 ft lbs @ 4200 rpm
redline	7200
body / frame	Carbon Fiber Body over Lotus Bonded Aluminum Tub Chassis w/Hennessey Rear Chrome-Moly Steel Subframe
driven wheels	RWD
wheel type	Forged Alloy
front tires	255/30/20 Michelin Pilot Super Sport
rear tires	345/30/20 Michelin Pilot Super Sport
front brakes	Brembo Carbon-Ceramic Discs w/6-Piston Calipers
rear brakes	Brembo Carbon-Ceramic Discs w/6-Piston Calipers
front wheels	F 50.8 x 24.1 cm / 20 x 9.5 in
rear wheels	R 50.8 x 31.8 cm / 20 x 12.5 in
steering	Rack & Pinion
f suspension	KW Variant 3 Adjustable Coilover
r suspension	KW Variant 3 Adjustable Coilover
curb weight	1219 kg / 2685 lbs
weight distro	40 % / 60 %
wheelbase	2800 mm / 110.2 in
front track	1612 mm / 63.5 in
rear track	1604 mm / 63.1 in
length	4655 mm / 183.3 in
width	1960 mm / 77.2 in
height	1079 mm / 42.5 in
transmission	Ricardo 6-Speed
gear ratios	2.61:1, 1.71:1, 1.23:1, 0.94:1, 0.77:1, 0.63:1
final drive	3.36:1
top speed	~435.22 kph / 270.49 mph
0 – 60 mph	~2.5 seconds
0 – 1/4 mile	~9.95 seconds
fuel capacity	70 litres or 18.48 gal.