Hennessey Venom F5: America’s rocket ship supercar promises to crack 300-plus mph – Roadshow [CNET]

performance cars as it cranks out 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 pound-feet of torque. All the while, the car tips the scales at 2,998 pounds, so yeah, it’ll scoot as the seven-speed semiautomatic transmission flicks through gears. Specifically, 0-60 miles per hour happens in under 2 seconds, while 0-124 mph occurs in 4.7 seconds. HPE promised the car’s Motec controller will work like a charm to help put the power down at the rear wheels with five different drive modes. F5 mode, named after the Fujita tornado scale’s 318 mph, unlocks the car’s top speed exclusively. As for the tires responsible for making contact with the pavement, the rears measure a whopping 345/30, while the front sit at 265/35. Michelin plans to test its Pilot Cup Sport 2 tires to ensure they’ll handle the speeds HPE wants to take its latest rocket ship of a supercar.

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Inside, we see more of the fighter jet inspiration HPE aimed for with the exterior. More importantly, the company wanted no nonsense. If it doesn’t help the driver drive, engineers and designers scrapped it. Butterfly doors open and the cockpit shows off its rad steering wheel, which takes big cues from Formula One cars and airplanes. It’s home to all essential functions for the windows, doors, lights, turn signals and all that good stuff. Ahead of the driver sits a 7.0-inch display and to the right is a 9.0-inch unit for infotainment. What about HVAC controls, you ask? A circular controller with a 1.3-inch screen controls those, along with the touchscreen. Just below it are the transmission gear selectors. It’s, honestly, a great-looking cockpit overall with lots of leather and carbon fiber.

With the production car out in the wild now, HPE plans to complete final testing in 2021. Crucially, it plans an independent speed test at the NASA shuttle landing center in Florida in the first half of the year. Then, we’ll know if the car’s $2.1 million asking price gets buyers a 311-mph machine.