Broad Arrow Auctions, a Hagerty (NYSE: HGTY) company, is thrilled to offer an exceptional and noteworthy group of supercars and sports cars at The Amelia Auction this 1-2 March 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island.
The “Racer X Collection,” a selection of twelve exceptional vehicles that pays homage to the owner’s deep-seated love for cars, inspired by the iconic Speed Racer series and rooted in the owner’s childhood fascination with the adventures of Speed and the mysterious Racer X. This collection presents modern and vintage sporting classics including this remarkable 2022 Hennessey Venom F5, estimated at $1,200,000 – $1,650,000,
Established in Sealy, Texas in 1991, Hennessey Performance Engineering initially focused on the modification–invariably to ultimate specification–of Japanese performance cars. However, by the mid-1990s, the company had become synonymous with highly developed versions of the Dodge Viper, and in 2006 started on the development of a car of their own design. Notably, company founder John Hennessey’s objectives for the new project included a requirement to offer 200 mph performance in a relatively comfortable, user-friendly environment. Based on a Lotus Elise chassis, the car was initially powered by a Viper V10 engine before this was replaced by a twin-turbocharged Chevrolet LS7-based unit; its name of Venom GT being applied by the time of its launch in 2010.
Extensively developed over the next four years, the Venom GT astounded the motoring world in 2014 when it achieved a top speed of 270.49 mph in the appropriate surroundings of the Kennedy Space Center; the figure surpassing that even of the production car speed record of 267 mph, then held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. Much subsequent discourse centered around the GT’s relatively modest underpinnings; something which not only riled John Hennessey himself, but also provided the entire Hennessey workforce with additional motivation to–literally–set the record straight. Suitably emboldened, Hennessey vowed to develop a new replacement for the GT from scratch: the Venom F5. A design team for the nascent project was recruited through 2017 and a full-scale model was unveiled at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada in November of that year.
Initially focusing on a highly complex Computational Fluid Dynamics program, Hennessey worked in conjunction with trusted British technical partners TotalSim and Delta Motorsport to optimize the car’s aerodynamic development and bespoke carbon fiber monocoque respectively. Both companies boasted a strong track record in top-level motorsport and had previously worked together on the Venom GT project. Furthermore, both were based within yards of each other at the famous Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit roughly 80 miles northwest of London; their physical proximity and close working relationship remained critical to the project throughout.
The F5’s resulting monocoque was exquisitely constructed, with a finished weight of just 190 pounds. An aluminum sub-frame and extruded aluminum crash structure were attached to its front, and a similar style sub-frame employed at the rear. Additionally, a composite front firewall and separate front and rear floors added further strength to the already formidable structure.
Elsewhere, the F5 was broadly conventional, if extravagantly specified in its construction. Suspension was via double wishbones and adjustable Penske coil spring and damper units, while huge ABS-equipped six piston front and four piston rear brake calipers operated onto no less substantial 15.5 inch carbon ceramic discs; the latter sourced from leading Formula One brake supplier Brembo. Finally, the car’s steering was via a conventional rack and pinion system, which benefitted from electrical assistance.
However, it was in its powertrain and, specifically, its engine that the F5 not so much pushed the boundaries of cutting-edge technology, but rather discarded them altogether. Unlike the Chevrolet-based GT, the new car featured the debut of the company’s bespoke 6.6-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 power unit, appropriately dubbed “Fury”. Boasting a water-cooled intake manifold, titanium intake valves, Inconel exhaust valves and twin fuel injectors per cylinder, Hennessey managed to extract an incredible 1,817 horsepower at 8,000 rpm from its new charge, and a no less impressive maximum torque figure of 1,193 lb-ft at just 5,000 rpm. Unusually, it employed a conceptually traditional iron cylinder block, albeit one machined exquisitely to modern specifications and supplemented by aluminum cylinder heads; the former’s choice of material being dictated by the extreme forces to which it would be subjected.
The transmission given the unenviable task of coping with such outrageous performance statistics was a seven-speed semi-automatic unit manufactured by CIMA of Bologna, Italy; its two-wheel drive operation assisted by a limited slip differential and five different driving modes. Unsurprisingly, such savage potential was supplemented by appropriately robust Traction and Launch Control systems.
Externally, the car radiated an unmistakable sense of purpose; its dramatic full carbon fiber bodywork augmented by a sizeable front splitter and an even more dramatically proportioned rear-mounted diffuser. Although the F5 incorporated active aerodynamics, this was achieved by minute computer-controlled modifications to the car’s ride height rather than by any moveable devices; such alterations modifying the airflow angle and, hence, the levels of downforce according to different situations. This system was further modified for practical benefit as well, offering an ingenious ride-height lifting device for use in situations where the car’s ground clearance was compromised. Finally, the car offered other welcome features including a touch screen Climate Control System, dash-mounted Touch Screen Infotainment system, and Apple/ Android connectivity.
With a curb weight of barely 3,000 pounds and more than 1,800 horsepower, the F5’s performance was, unsurprisingly, utterly spellbinding. However, impressive though its zero to 60 mph and zero to 186 mph times of 2.5 and 10 seconds undoubtedly were–as was its recorded top speed of 272 mph–such extreme figures remain difficult to comprehend in absolute terms. Perhaps easier to digest is the fact that the car boasted almost exactly double the power to weight ratio of a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport; a car of such huge capability and performance that it remained the world’s fastest production car until as recently as 2017.
Only when the car was considered in this context did it begin to emerge quite how otherwordly the F5 really was. Furthermore, it should also be remembered that the F5’s current top speed remains a dynamic figure, for the Hennessey team remain confident that with the appropriate aerodynamic fine-tuning the elusive 300 mph barrier–an incredible five miles a minute–can be breached in the near future.
Configured in the stunning color scheme of Lausanne Silver with Ink leather interior, this particular F5–chassis number 02 of just 24 coupe variants constructed–was delivered directly to the consignor in 2022. Specified by the owner to include a Tri-color stripe pattern to the front clamshell and decklid, it was also finished with Charcoal and Poppy accents to its leather trim, steering wheel, instrument panel and door handle trims. The car has remained in the consignor’s collection ever since and has a recorded odometer reading of just 229 miles as at the time of cataloging.
If ever the term technical tour de force was intended for one car, then surely it is the remarkable Hennessey Venom F5. Yet to focus merely on its technical composition and resulting performance, formidable though both are, is to do it a disservice–for the model garnered widespread praise for its superb build quality and assured driving experience. Paradoxically, the car was also complimented on its ease of use and drivability; its startling capacity to delight as readily at 70 mph as at 270 forming yet another layer of its multi-faceted and hugely accomplished character. Yet perhaps the Hennessey’s greatest achievement is to exist at all: conceived and proudly executed by less than 100 master craftsmen in Sealy, Texas it remains the automotive embodiment of the American dream–and, in the case of this magnificently unmarked and minimally used example–one guaranteed to amaze and enthrall its fortunate new owner in equal measure.
This collection also features standout models such as the Hennessey Venom F5 Coupe, Lamborghini Sián, Porsche 911 Sport Classic, and the revered Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, to name a few. Each car resonates with the spirit of those thrilling moments that first ignited the owner’s passion for automobiles and creates a unique opportunity for enthusiasts to acquire pieces of automotive history that exemplify the nature of Speed Racer’s iconic adventures and the enigmatic allure of Racer X. To view more thrilling cars on offer at Broad Arrows Amelia Auction, please visit their website at broadarrowauctions.com and be sure to register to bid for this exciting event.
