Cover Car – The Hennessey Venom F5
The Hennessey Venom F5, from Hennessey Special Vehicles, is a bespoke mid-engine hypercar engineered to exceed 300 mph while delivering unparalleled performance and the world’s most exhilarating driving experience. The Venom F5 is Hennessey’s follow-up act to its celebrated, and world speed record holding, Venom GT.
Engineered and built in the USA, the Venom F5 boasts state-of-the-art construction. Mirroring F1 race cars, the F5 utilizes a carbon fiber monocoque passenger tub with aluminum alloy subframes. Carbon fiber skins the exterior, meticulously sculpted to cheat the wind while maximizing aerodynamic stability. Credit the painstaking attention to detail for lowering mass – the Venom F5 has a dry weight of just 2,998 lbs.
At the heart of the Venom F5 is the custom Hennessey-built 6.6-litre, twin-turbocharged, V8 engine dubbed “Fury.” The hand-assembled V8 utilizes precision components crafted from iron, aluminum, titanium, and Inconel. Under full boost, the engine develops a stratospheric 1,817 horsepower and packs 1,192 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a 7-speed, single-clutch, automated gearbox.
Deploying this unprecedented level of horsepower results in prodigious acceleration: 0-62 mph takes less than three seconds and the Venom F5 will smash a 0-124 mph run in under five seconds. The production F5 is targeting an independently validated top speed in excess of 500 km/h (311 mph).
Power and top speed dominated the design parameters, but the crucial engineering goal was to deliver a peerless performance envelope and a truly visceral experience behind the wheel. With its immense power, low weight, and methodically honed dynamics – tuned by John Heinricy, former GM High Performance Vehicles Director – the F5 boasts extraordinary handling.
The Venom F5 project is overseen by the company Founder and CEO John Hennessey, who has shaped every aspect of the car’s specification, design, and development. John has combined knowledge from the company’s past 30 years of “making fast cars faster” with the highest levels of specialist engineering talent.
Hennessey displayed a pair of production Venom F5 vehicles at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and at The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. At the conclusion of the celebrated Monterey Car Week, all 24 examples of the $2.1 million hypercar had been spoken for – the owners eagerly await their specially commissioned vehicles as deliveries of the 300+ mph vehicle begin later this year.
Cover Watch – Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Carbon Double Flying Tourbillon
Several patents and world premieres have made their debut from Roger Dubuis since the brand teamed with Italian supercar champion Lamborghini. This newest Excalibur Spider Huracan STO is indicative of the results of the partnership of these two premium brands. The 233-part mechanical automatic movement of this watch is designed like the supercars withs strut-bars and hexagonal grills. The movement, RD630, features a tilted balance wheel for a great three-dimensional effect. The 45mm watch is crafted in carbon with a titanium container and rubber inlays. The bezel is black Diamon Like Carbon (DLC) coated titanium and boasts lacquered markings. The transparent sapphire caseback boasts the Huracan logo, and the rubber and perforated calf leather strap complete the auto-inspired details.