Hennessey

McLaren W1 First Drive: Ferocious Hypercar Transcends the Track

You know things are getting serious when McLaren rolls-out the ‘1’ suffix. The origin story is, of course, the very first road car McLaren ever built, the F1. Designed by visionary Formula 1 aerodynamicist and engineer Gordon Murray, it arrived in 1992 and rendered all other supercars obsolete. The tiny, lightweight F1 embraced carbon-fibre material technology, adopted a radical centre seat driving position with two passengers set back and either side and was powered by a 6.1-litre V12 engine from BMW that might as well have been passed down directly from the Gods. Game-changer? That doesn’t even come close to describing its impact, even if at the time sales didn’t come easy… The P1 was very different. Rather than a unique side project from the Formula 1 team, it was instead a statement piece for McLaren Automotive, a new road car division still in its infancy. It arrived in 2013 and was a wild-eyed showstopper. It traded the long-legged gait and supple suspension of the F1 for a weaponized hybrid system capable of delivering 903bhp and huge blue flames from its drainpipe exhaust. In Race mode, it lowered by 2-inches and its massive concave rear wing extended into the sky. The P1 was all about aerodynamic downforce, crazed acceleration and a snorting, angry soundtrack that mixed venomous twin-turbocharged V8 with the manic whirr of electric motors. Not so much a car as a force of nature. And now there’s this: The W1. It’s a true successor to the P1 with a similar brief and, on the face of it, it evolves rather than radically reinvents McLaren’s vision for the ultimate hypercar. This is not a criticism. How could it be when the result is this dramatic and has such staggering, other-worldly potential? The W1 has 1258bhp delivered to the rear wheels. It’s capable of 0-124 mph in 5.8-seconds, the quarter mile in 9.6-seconds at 167 mph and produces 2205lbs of downforce at 174 mph. The active aerodynamics – particularly a rear wing that extends way out beyond the rear of the car – are pure performance art and deliver massive aerodynamic efficiency. The result, aside from looking extremely cool, is that the W1 is McLaren’s fastest road car around a racetrack. Ever. Their benchmark circuit is the breath-taking Handling Track at the Nardo proving ground in southern Italy, where the W1 beats their previous benchmark, the flyweight McLaren Senna, by three seconds per lap. Or “a lifetime” as they call it in racing. Maybe two lifetimes! Core to the W1’s performance is the new ‘Aerocell’ carbon fibre tub. With integrated seats and a raised footwell to allow for inboard pushrod-operated front suspension – which in turn gives air a clean path to the huge underbody diffuser – it’s light, stiff, space efficient and has been instrumental in McLaren realising a full ground-effect concept. Just like last year’s F1 cars, which were the fastest ever made. There is also an active front wing and the aforementioned complex rear wing dubbed ‘Active Long Tail’. All of which is very admirable. But the ‘anhedral’ or gullwing doors and the fantastically shirnked-wrapped feel to the minimalist, highly-focussed interior are a pretty good side effect. The W1 feels special. Those fixed seats are perhaps a shade more upright than expected, and the driving position is less obviously racecar than, for example, the Aston Martin Valhalla or Ferrari F80. However, once you’ve adjusted the pedals (they move on a slider) and the delicate, slim-rimmed and alcantara-trimmed steering wheel, there’s an overwhelming sense of purpose. The cabin is so tightly tailored and imparts a sense of lightness and agility before you so much as start the all-new 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, which makes 916bhp all on its own and revs to 9200rpm. Reach up to a roof-mounted control panel to find the starter button. Maybe this fighter plane trope is a little corny, but somehow you feel thrilled rather than manipulated. The W1 has a sense of humour as well as all that motorsport-derived sophistication. There’s a short delay, but when the engine does fire it’s instant – as the high-powered hybrid system negates the need for an old-school starter motor. A sharp flare of revs tells you that this engine is hyper-responsive and angry. On some deep level your brain and body have been sent all the signals required to prepare for something new and intense. Ahead of us, an empty Mugello racetrack, so press and hold the blue button next to the red starter to select Race mode. The centre display graphic shows the W1’s transformation in real time as it lowers by 37mm at the front and 17mm at the rear whilst simultaneously undocking all that active aero goodness. Race mode is not road legal and is geo-locked. You can show your friends and neighbours the aero dance, but it won’t allow you to select a gear to actually drive unless you’re at a circuit. Incidentally, the rocker switches either side of the display binnacle allow further options now: Toggle up the Handling control on the left for Race+ (for F1-spec super smooth tracks) or stick to Race for gnarlier ones. On the right toggle select ‘GP’ for sustained performance over a stint or ‘Sprint’ to unleash all 1258bhp for a time attack. There’s also a DRS and Boost function on the steering wheel. But I guarantee you won’t have the mental capacity to use them… Exit the pitlane, pin the throttle and W1 takes maybe a millisecond or two to gather its might (the gearing stretches to around 60mph in first, nearly 100mph in second, primarily to aid traction), but then lunges at the first turn with incredible ferocity. It instantly feels light, almost like inertia is no longer a thing. McLaren really does prize lightweight engineering, and at 3084lbs (dry) the W1 has a 278lbs advantage over the Ferrari F80. Plus, Ferrari uses figures for cars fitted with every single carbon fibre option. In reality, the gap is probably wider still. The impression of agility and stunning control continues as the track is unravelled at startling pace. The electric motor mounted to the side of the new 8-speed dual-clutch transmission is good for 342bhp and 324lb ft and it boosts any low rev lethargy the new flat-plane crank V8 might have (spoiler alert: It doesn’t appear to have any), so the W1 just feels massively, almost impossibly powerful at any revs. Even so, there’s real reward for wringing it out to 9200rpm and the power curve feels superheated but organic, too. In Race mode the steering – still hydraulically powered – has less assistance and it is noticeably heavier than other McLarens. However, that resistance is welcome as it gives you something to push against and imparts so much information about the front grip level. New Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres with a bigger front footprint than P1 or Senna really help. The front-end feels incredibly secure and the rear-axle follows with perfectly-aligned precision. The whole car feels super-stiff, completely locked into the surface and inspires confidence, but there’s an inherent agility and adjustability that means you’re quickly confident to push at its limits and really impose yourself on the chassis. It’s such a complex car but the driving experience is intuitive, and the driver feels a key contributor rather than just amazed (or terrified) observer, holding on for dear life. Every dynamic ingredient really is shockingly effective and yet has a subtlety and lightness of touch. From that delicious steering to the incredible brakes, the W1 just feels so mission-focussed, so hooked-up. Only the new 8-speed gearbox is a slightly disappointment. It’s fast and punchy, but after the scintillating energy of the Ferrari F80 ’box it feels competent rather than inspired. Other quibbles – it’s okay to quibble when the starting price is $2.1-million before tax and destination charge. Well, that new twin-turbocharged V8 sounds tightly wound and aggressive but if you have a P1 tucked in the garage you’ll miss the snorting, Darth Vader-style soundscape and all the drama that goes with it. Ferrari does this better, too. The F80 sounds deathly dull from the outside but is a riot of turbochargers, electric motors and all sorts of mechanical fury within the cockpit. Even so, the W1 is wildly entertaining on track, and the rear-drive configuration makes it more of a challenge and more satisfying than the F80 when chasing lap times or just sliding around for fun. In the Ferrari, you must second-guess what the front e-axle might do, whereas in the W1 it’s all on you. There are plenty of tools to help, including the ingenious Variable Drift Control, but somehow the W1 is more heroic. Or at least fools you into feeling more heroic – which is surely the point! On the road? Nimble, loaded with feel and sublime response. The ride is noticeably tougher than, say, a 750S but the control is ramped-up too, and with a bit more speed the whole car finds a delicious rhythm. Sport mode for the drivetrain brings some nice turbo whooshes and chirps, but the noise remains high-quality rather than extreme excitement. It is perhaps the one area the W1 feels just a little too tame. Of course, there’s nothing tame about the raw performance… which is genuinely shocking and literally hurts your neck muscles after a few hours. How McLaren has given the W1 such immense traction through just two driven wheels is beyond me. So, is it worthy of that ‘1’? I think so. Perhaps we won’t be talking about $25-million auction results for the W1 in 30 years from now, as we are for the F1. Perhaps it doesn’t quite have the amazing presence and jaw-dropping star quality of the simply gorgeous P1. But it is such an intense experience and the way it marries stunning track performance with delicate poise and entertainment on normal roads is something akin to magic. Maybe not ‘the one’ but definitely a searing, outrageous addition to McLaren’s fiercest family line. Just 399 W1’s will be built and they’re all sold. I’m not surprised at all. View All McLarens For Sale Images: McLaren Automotive

By Tyler Rampersaud – May 24, 2022

Hear Hennessey's 1000-HP Venom 1000 Mustang Roar At 145 MPH

The Mustang GT500 is fast, but Hennessey knows how to make just about anything faster. The Venom 1000 by Hennessey takes the Mustang GT500 and makes it into the ultimate daily driver that also dominates the track. By upgrading the supercharger system, Hennessey is able to give the GT500 an incredible 1000 horsepower, hence the name Venom 1000. What you end up getting is a car that Hennessey describes as “the American Turbo S.” That’s to say, a car that is confident, elegant, and sophisticated on the road while being a brutal and unforgiving machine on the track. MUST READ: The New Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG 008 Is A Rally Car You Can Build Thanks to various exhaust and driving modes, as well as a dual-clutch automatic transmission, the Venom 1000 is easy to drive no matter where you are and still has monstrous performance, and it’s also easy to impress whoever might be in the passenger seat, whether it’s by giving them the thrill of their life or by giving them a ride in effortless comfort and style. While the Mustang GT500 is an incredible car itself, Hennessey is able to make it the even more dynamic, versatile, and unbelievable car that is the Venom 1000. Source: Hennessey

By Tyler Rampersaud – May 13, 2022

Hennessey's 1000-HP THE EXORCIST Camaro Hits The Pennzoil...

Like the name, this Camaro’s performance is supernatural. Hennessey is known for giving unbelievable performance to cars that we already know and love for their capabilities and making cars of their own that simply blow our minds. The ZL1 Camaro, a sports car known for its excellent performance and true American pony car status is one of those, and Hennessey decided to give it a Hennessey supercharger treatment that you just have to see to believe, and to that end, Hennessey made a video to show that the Exorcist’s claims are true. MUST READ: Hennessey’s Supercharged Mach 1 Mustang Makes 800 Horsepower The car is called The Exorcist, and like any inexplicable event, it’s rare, with only 100 examples being made, which turn the ZL1 Chevrolet Camaro into a powerful force with 1000 horsepower, and 883 lb/ft of torque. What that results in is a 0-60 time of a blistering 2.1 seconds, a sub-10-second quarter-mile (9.57 seconds) at 147 mph, and a top speed of 217 mph. For context, not that it needs any, in 1992, the Jaguar XJ220 became the world’s fastest production car when it achieved 217 mph, and now, that kind of speed is capable in a Camaro. With a high-flow supercharger, high-flow induction system, custom Hennessey camshaft, and all kinds of other upgrades, The Exorcist is a car truly deserving of its name. Source: Hennessey

By Tyler Rampersaud – April 27, 2022

The New Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster Will Debut In August

The Hennessey Venom F5 is all about speed, power, and now the open sky. With the promise to make the fastest road car on Earth as its goal, the Hennessey Venom F5 strives to be the ultimate in whatever it sets out to do. With technical development on the car complete, the car has already been shown to be capable of speeds in excess of 270 mph, and now it has its sights set on the magic number of 300. However, when it comes to creating the ultimate thrill, Hennessey refuses to stop there. Now, it has been announced that a Hennessey Venom F5 Roadster is set to debut on August 9. MUST READ: Hennessey’s Supercharged Mach 1 Mustang Makes 800 Horsepower This new Roadster version of the Venom F5 is going to share the same “Fury” engine as the coupe, a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 capable of an unprecedented 1,817 horsepower, now with the wind in your hair as you send it all into the asphalt. The debut of the new Venom F5 Roadster is sure to make waves, and only ten days after it is revealed, it will be on display at The Quail during the legendary Monterey Car Week. View All Hypercars For Sale Source: Hennessey

By Tyler Rampersaud – April 25, 2022

Hennessey's Supercharged Mach 1 Mustang Makes 800 Horsepower

In true Hennessey fashion, the Ford Mustang Mach 1 gets supercharged for some serious muscle. Mach 1 is quite the famous name in the Mustang world. Originally meant to replace the GT designation we know many modern Mustangs for today, the Mach 1 name was a way of telling customers that a Mustang took performance seriously. Through the late 60s and 70s, and briefly in 2003 and 2004, the Mach 1 Mustang was an edition that was serious about speed. Now, it’s returned, with all the power, performance, and retro appeal that made the Mustang as desirable of a car as it always has been, and then some. However, as we’ve come to know, Hennessey muscle cars are all about power and performance, which is why they decided to see what the Mach 1 would be capable of with a little help, in the name of a Hennessey supercharger. MUST READ: Custom 2009 Ford Mustang “AV8R” For Sale What happens is that the Mach 1 Mustang ends up with an incredible 800 horsepower, which makes for speed and power that the Mach 1 has never known before. And speaking of the speed of sound, there’s nothing quite like the sound of a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine, and the supercharged Mach 1 delivers quite the chorus once it’s opened up, roaring and burbling as you put the foot on the pedal. When it comes to giving your Mustang a serious performance injection, Hennessey provides an effortless one-way ticket. Source: Hennessey

By Tyler Rampersaud – April 19, 2022

The New 6x6 Hennessey Mammoth Is a $450,000 Ram-Based Mon...

The Hennessey Mammoth is a 6x6 truck with prehistoric performance that has just started production. Hennessey is known for performance trucks, SUVs, and sometimes for adding an extra set of wheels to the back of certain vehicles. However, the new Hennessey 6x6 Mammoth shows them turning a Ram truck into an entirely different animal. Adding an axle to the truck was just the beginning of what Hennessey did to make the Mammoth the truck that it is. It’s nearly 7 feet high, over 7 feet wide, and nearly 24 feet long. And similarly large, under the hood sits a 6.2-liter Hellcat V8, with upgrades that make it simply unbelievable. MUST READ: The Hennessey Venom F5 Breaks 270 MPH In Final Testing Adding a 2.65-liter supercharger, the Hellcat engine has been brought up in performance to make a total of 1,012 horsepower, and 969 lb/ft of torque. All of this fearsome power goes to all six wheels for a truck that is both massive and fast, both on and off the road. The best part about all of this is the fact that Hennessey’s expertise and experience in 6x6 trucks make them confident in the reliability of the Mammoth to the point of offering a 2-year/24,000-mile cover on every Mammoth that is sold, which are able to be ordered now through Ram retailers or directly with Hennessey. Starting at just under $450,000, the Mammoth might be one of the most expensive trucks ever, but it’s one of the most incredible trucks just the same. Source: Hennessey

By Tyler Rampersaud – April 06, 2022

The Hennessey Venom F5 Wins A Prestigious 2022 Red Dot De...

While it certainly doesn’t lack recognition, we don’t see anything wrong with the Hennessey Venom F5 getting another feather in its cap. A Red Dot design award is an acknowledgment of beauty, innovation, and forward-thinking in product design. To win a Red Dot shows that your design stands out from the crowd and makes a meaningful change to the industry or even the world, and the Hennessey Venom F5 certainly did that, which is why it won the prestigious award for 2022. MUST READ: What production cars have the most torque? FIND OUT The ethos of the Venom F5 is Hennessey’s “function defines form” design language, meaning that the Venom F5 was designed, above all things, to be fast. With a clean, minimal look, sharp, carefully placed lines, and smooth surfaces for air to glide over, Hennessey’s goals of making a car that could surpass 300 mph, and inspiration from aircraft created a car that is both beautiful and optimally aerodynamic, and combined with a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 and cutting-edge lightweight materials, the Venom F5 is a car like no other. All 24 Venom F5s have been reserved, and Hennessey plans on making 12 this year. With the technical development complete, the car has already proved capable of over 270 mph, but the journey to 300 continues. Source: Hennessey

Hennessey Venom F5 high speed testing 022

By Tyler Rampersaud – March 24, 2022

The Hennessey Venom F5 Breaks 270 MPH In Final Testing

Leave it to Hennessey to get to 271 mph without even trying. With tests on the car’s braking, suspension, and stability at high speeds done successfully, the technical development of the Hennessey Venom F5 is now complete, and Hennessey plans to turn focus towards producing cars for customers. However, there is a bit of an extra surprise to go along with this achievement: during testing, the Venom F5 managed over 270 mph, and speed records weren’t even on the schedule for the day. MUST READ: Hennessey Venom F5 Hypercar Spits Flames and Screams on the Dyno As we know, the Venom F5 is anticipated to cross the threshold of 300 mph, and our sneak peeks at its incredible performance thus far suggest that it’s just a matter of time. John Hennessey says that later this year, the journey towards breaking the 300 mph record is going to continue later this year. For now, Hennessey plans on delivering more than a dozen cars, and we are told to anticipate seeing the F5 this year at events like Pebble Beach Car Week. Hennessey, and its fans, have quite the year ahead. Source: Hennessey

By Tyler Rampersaud – January 11, 2022

Hennessey Shows Us The Venom F5's "F5 Mode" In New Testin...

The time to see the Venom F5 in action has finally come. A sunny, clear day at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds in Florida was interrupted by a storm. And while we know that the Fujita Scale is no longer in use, we can certify that it was an F5 tornado that rolled through and shook things up. The Hennessey Venom F5 is Hennesey’s long-awaited hypercar and successor to their record-breaking Venom GT. After years of waiting for the car to come into production, Hennessey has finally shared a video of the F5 in aerodynamic testing, where they get to show us in real life the amazing things we knew the car could accomplish on paper. Just as a reminder, the Venom F5 boasts nearly 1,200 horsepower, the world’s highest power-to-weight ratio of any road car, and the capability of reaching 311 miles per hour. MUST READ: Hennessey Venom F5 Hypercar Spits Flames and Screams on the Dyno Out on the tarmac, the video starts with what truly does sound like a fighter jet passing by, and we are quickly told that that is just the beginning. The driver, Spencer is asked if the car has been run in “F5 Mode,” to which he matter-of-factly says, “No, I did not, John.” “Why don’t you do that?” John asks. We then see Spencer in the cockpit of the F5, tapping the touchscreen on the steering wheel, which turns the instrument cluster red. The car is now in F5 Mode. A camera attached to the back of the F5 shows us as the car roars in acceleration, spitting flames from the exhaust with each gear change. As this isn’t a top speed test, which is yet to come and highly anticipated, we have no clue how fast the F5 was going, but we do get the suggestion that the car is as formidable as its fact sheet indicates. At the end of the video, we hear John on the walkie-talkie again, asking the driver, “So, could you tell any difference?” “Oh, yeah. That extra power is nice.”

By Edward Jones – January 06, 2022

Hennessey Venom F5 Hypercar Spits Flames and Screams on t...

A chance to hear the Texas company's insane new hypercar. Deliveries of the Hennessey Venom F5 started at the end of last year, but we haven't seen many videos of its Fury engine showing off its strength. Thankfully, Hennessey has uploaded a video of a Venom F5 on the dyno, giving us a chance to hear all of its 1,817 horsepower in action. To say that this 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine has a brutal exhaust note would really be an understatement. I can just imagine now how lovely the sound will be as a Venom F5 does a fly-by on a track, going flat out. And on top of that, this new video shows the exhaust spitting flames, which will definitely make those fly-bys even more exciting. Hopefully, we'll see a Venom F5 on a track soon because I know it will be a sight to behold. READ NOW: The First Hennessey Venom F5 Has Been Delivered

By Edward Jones – December 22, 2021

Audi RS 6 Hits 183 MPH With a Christmas Tree On the Roof

The world's fastest station wagon carrying a Christmas tree. After Hennessey Performance brought out a Porsche 911 Turbo S carrying a Christmas tree and took it to 175 mph, they're doing it again but this time are looking for a faster top speed. For the Christmas tree carrier, the team went with an Audi RS 6 that actually belongs to John Hennessey's wife. This specific RS 6 has also undergone some tuning at the hands of Hennessey Performance, which has brought its power output up to 800 bhp. Also, it sounds meaner than a fire-breathing dragon. Driving the RS 6 to its top speed was Ford Performance Driving School Senior Instructor, Spencer Geswin. How did he manage? Take it from John Hennessey himself. John Hennessey, company Founder and CEO: “We wanted to see what my wife’s Audi station wagon would run without the tree and we managed 205 mph. Then, the real holiday fun began when we mounted a real Christmas tree on the roof. To our surprise, her wagon ran a very respectable 183 mph.” You can see the top speed run up above. See All Audi RS 6 For Sale

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