In a two-headed race for top speed glory, Hennessy is taking on the Bugatti Veyron for overall honours and bragging rights asthe world’s fastest car. Hennessy now believes that with a few tweaks, its Venom F5 can hit 465kph, improving on the435kph it managed in February this year.

Hennessey Venom F5 power specs

In order to achieve the claimed 465kph, the F5 – named after the most destructive of tornados, is going to have to deliver more power. The Hennessey team is aiming at 1044 kW from its 7-litre twin-turbo V8.

The Hennessey Venom F5 will also have to remain light, the current Venom has a kerb weight of 1 244 kg, but the F5 may come in a touch heavier after some aerodynamic aids are attached to it. They still hope to keep it under 1 300 kg though.

The Venom F5 doesn’t mess about with trick four-wheel drive systems or dual clutch gearboxes, it focuses purely on the more power, less weight philosophy of going fast. It’s rear-wheel drive and has a six-speed manual. If you want an auto, they’ll do you a single clutch paddle shift variant, but won’t be happy about it.

The guys at Hennessey also plan to make a production run of this Lotus Exige based hypercar. They’re hoping to push out over 30 cars to the public at an estimated cost of R12Million – before tax.