World's Fastest Production Car: 265.7 mph (427.6 km/h) in 2 Miles

Hennessey Performance today announced that on February 9, 2013 its street-legal Venom GT accelerated to 265.7 mph (427.6 km/h) during testing, establishing the exotic hypercar as the world’s fastest production vehicle available for public purchase. The top speed run was accomplished over a distance of two miles using a full-production Venom GT. All testing was validated by (2) VBOX 3i GPS-based data logging systems and VBOX officials were on hand to certify the numbers.

The Venom GT acceleration runs were conducted at the United States Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore in Central California using the seventh production Venom GT— a street-legal supercar that makes use of Michelin Pilot Super Sport DOT-approved radial tires, Brembo 4-wheel carbon ceramic disc brakes, and a full interior (replete with high-end stereo, air conditioning, and leather seats). NAS Lemoore was chosen for testing as is home to one of the longest paved runways in North America.

Designed to operate on premium unleaded pump fuel, the Venom GT is powered by a 7.0-liter (427 cubic inch) V-8 engine fed by twin Precision turbochargers that team to produce 1,244 horsepower and 1,155 lb-ft of torque at 19 psi (1.3 bar) of boost pressure. Weighing just 1,244 kg (2,743 lbs), the rear-wheel-drive Venom GT delivers a power-to-weight ratio of 1 horsepower per kilogram of vehicle weight.

In July 2010, a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (propelled by a 1,200 horsepower quad-turbo 16-cylinder engine) attained a speed of 267.8 mph— 2.1 mph faster than the Venom GT. However, the top speed was achieved using a state of tune that is not available to customers paying the $2.5 million dollar purchase price as a production Veyron SS is speed limited to 257.8 mph. Furthermore, the Veyron SS top speed testing was conducted over the 5.6 mile long straightaway that is part of Volkswagen Group AG’s private test track located near Ehra-Lessien, Germany. “Afforded the same distance to accelerate, the Venom GT would exceed 275 mph,” said John Hennessey.

More detailed information here: venomgt.com - 265.7 mph top speed record

 

Really impressive, Congratulations John. Now that his real job is to build missiles. Goosebumps.

 

I thought the damn Vbox was in KPH it was going so fast. Very impressive.

Just a question though: does the Veyron SS' 268mph run officially not count, or are you just dismissing it because of the delimited option isn't available to order?

 

Of course, the Veyron Super Sport Guinness world record is legit and impressive. However, Bugatti only removed the speed limiter on that car for the Guinness runs. All Veyron SS models as delivered from Bugatti are speed limited to 258 mph. Thus, we are making the simple claim that the Venom GT is the fastest new vehicle that you can buy, own and drive.

 

Okay, thanks for the reply!

 

I just timed 0-300kph in about 14s and that included a nasty mis shift - incredible !!

Not sure this is comparable to the Veyron which is emissions certified around the world - I wouldn't imagine this beast hits Euro 5 or even Euro 1

 

I'm having a hard time believing I'm the only one in the enthusiast sector who has a problem with a non-production car claiming production car records.

If I were to take the business end of a Top Fuel dragster and graft it onto the rear of a Pontiac Fiero, would that be the world's quickest-accelerating production car? It sounds like an extreme case, but it's no different than what Hennessey has done here.

Sorry, but the line has to be drawn somewhere, and it just happens to fall on the other side of today's Venom GT.

Let's examine once again the build process of a Venom GT; step one is to buy an existing Lotus Elise or Exige. Nearly everything except the central tub and windshield is discarded, and Hennessey adds their own engine and chassis bits. The result is so radically different from an Elise or Exige that it retains scant little Lotus DNA.

The big issue I have here is that the Venom GT retains the Lotus VIN, meaning it is seen as a Lotus by any regulatory body, law enforcement agency or insurance company in the world. For purposes of classification, it merely rides on the coattails of Lotus' certification for the Elise or Exige on which it is based.

I might remind everybody that the Elise/Exige have not been sold as new vehicles in the U.S. since model year 2011, making Hennessey's claim of "fastest NEW vehicle you can buy" a bit strange. I would also remind that the reason the Elise/Exige can no longer be sold in the U.S. is that Lotus was unable to bring their airbag systems into compliance with advanced airbag operation, as specified by NHTSA FMVSS 208. This is precisely the reason Tesla had to stop sales of the Roadster in the U.S., as it was based on the Elise as well (note that the Roadster was VIN'ed and certified as a Tesla, not a Lotus).

The Venom GT does not even possess a driver's side airbag, a clear violation of U.S. production car regulations for about two decades now. There are reasons that companies such as Morgan and Pagani have so much trouble bringing their cars to the U.S. market, reasons which Hennessey conveniently sidesteps in the manner in which they currently build the Venom GT.

Until the Venom GTs are sold as current model year cars, with their own, unique identifying VINs, they are modified Lotus cars. I can't explain this point any more simply.

Mr. Hennessey has been kind enough to PM stating he would gladly bring me a Venom GT to examine, were one ever in my area, an offer I have accepted. It's a mighty impressive car for sure, and 265mph in two miles is simply astonishing. Mr. Hennessey wants he and I to agree to disagree, which is a cute little turn of phrase. But it's he who will sit back and continue to accept the accolades for world's (whatever) production car, when that simply isn't the case. And no amount of other members here fawning all over this car will change my mind on that.

World's quickest accelerating production car = Koenigsegg Agera R
World's fastest production car = Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

 

The big issue I have here is that the Venom GT retains the Lotus VIN, meaning it is seen as a Lotus by any regulatory body, law enforcement agency or insurance company in the world. For purposes of classification, it merely rides on the coattails of Lotus' certification for the Elise or Exige on which it is based.

If this is so,then the car would be carrying illegal modification by law enforcement units,right? Lotus as it is comes with a Naturally Aspirated engine. So adding turbochargers will be deemed as an illegal modification. How then can we register it for the road?

 

I guess that would depend on your local regulations. Here in the States, you can add whatever you want to your engine, provided it passes inspection with the proper authorities. In my state of Illinois, as long as the OBD-II systems reads that everything is functioning as designed, then it will pass the emissions test. Other states vary.

For what it's worth, Mr. Hennessey stated some time ago on this forum that the Venom GT does somehow pass this test, as a Lotus. If true that's an amazing bit of techno-wizardry, respect given. It is possible to fool the computer into giving a passing grade however, using things like O2 simulators and such. Just because it passes OBD-II doesn't necessarily mean that the emissions are within specified limits, but that's how they test in Illinois.

For comparison, as far as I've heard, Wisconsin (very close to me) also does a physical inspection to verify all emissions equipment is present. Illionis only tests OBD-II cars (MY1996 and newer), again other states differ. I would ask John if the Venom GT is fitted with catalysts?

I have also seen examples where owners have replaced the factory airbag-equipped steering wheel of their cars with non-airbag-equipped aftermarket steering wheels. Commonly this is done with cars intended for heavy track usage. Finding a shop willing to do this work can be difficult. But it is quite forbidden to offer a new car onto the U.S. market direct from the manufacturer without airbags. The last maker to be granted an exemption to this rule was Saleen. It was the expiration of this exemption, and the inability to comply with the rule, that led to the demise of the S7 after MY2006.

Furthermore there are numerous small volume manufacturers that have been granted exemptions for "advanced" operation of the passenger airbag, but the NHTSA has gone on record as saying they pretty much are done granting these exemptions, as the rule has been in effect for nearly a decade. As far as I'm aware, the last such exemption granted by the NHTSA was last summer to tiny electric car maker Wheego for its LiFe model.

At present, Hennessey does not posses an exemption for advanced passenger airbag operation (which the Elise/Exige on which it's based also lacks), let alone an exemption for no driver's airbag at all.

You can make quite a lot of changes to a car here in the States before the authorities will take notice. Most likely they wouldn't know what they're looking at anyway. As long as it passes inspection, you'll be okay. Again, your local regulations likely vary, but the Venom GT could not possibly be offered for sale in the U.S. as a new production vehicle in its current state. This fact would not stop folks from driving one around here "legally"; as long as it carries that Lotus VIN, it's just a modified car.

 

In my country,no modification in allowed to the exhaust system. The authorities are very anal about this. So adding a turbocharger to a factory lotus is illegal,unless turbochargers are fitted from the Lotus factory.

Well there goes my chance then,even if i could afford one.