Hennessey Venom GT

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, it will be among the fastest supercars produced.
The 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.

Pricing is expected to be around $600,000 USD.

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.

 Engineering

The Venom GT is based on a highly modified Lotus Exige chassis. The Venom GT is powered by General Motors' 6.2 L (380 cu in) LS9 supercharged V8 that can be found in the Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1. The modified engine will produce 725 bhp (541 kW). Hennessey will also offer a 1,000 bhp (750 kW) and 1,200 bhp (890 kW) twin-turbocharged variants. The mid-engine V8 is mated to the rear wheels with a Ricardo plc 6-speed transmission. Hennessey claims that the car can achieve a top speed of 275 mph (440 km/h).^[3]

The Venom GT will have a production curb weight of less than 2,400 lb (1,100 kg) aided by its lightweight carbon fiber bodywork and carbon fiber wheels. Brembo brakes with 6-piston calipers in the front and 4-piston calipers in the rear clamping down on 15 in (380 mm) carbon ceramic rotors will deliver the Venom GT's stopping power.

A programmable traction control system will manage power output. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) tested bodywork and down force also help keep the Venom GT stable. Under varying conditions on both the road and racetrack, an active aero system with adjustable rear wing will deploy. An adjustable suspension system will allow ride height adjustments according to speed and driving conditions. Michelin PS2 tires will also help put power to the ground.

The Venom GT was also featured on Jay Leno's Garage and received favourable reviews from Leno.

Production

Hennessey manufactures the power plants at its facility in Sealy, Texas. The engines are then 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.

Hennessey 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. The 750 hp Hennessey Venom GT price starts at 600,000 USD while the 1,200 hp version starts at 1,000,000 USD. If you want the car in Europe, the Hennessey Venom GT price goes up by just under 25,000 USD.

As of 21 October 2011, 4 Venom GT's have been manufactured