Cant wait for that drive episode! Congratulations once again Mr. Henessey!

 

Wow, 0-200 in 14.5 is quick. Agera R hits in 17.5 I believe, but it goes into 6th at 305ish kph so it loses about a second on the gear change. Id love to see the Agera R do a full hard launch instead of from idle, Im sure the times would be faster.

And Mr Hennessey, if you see this, are Venom GTs now considered production cars?

 

Yes, we consider it a production car. Others will have a different definition. But we are now building our 8th Venom GT and have 3 more orders after that. Nobody sends us their Lotus to convert it into a Venom GT. And that normally defines a tuner car. Yes, the car does use some components from Lotus but let than 10% of the overall car. Other production cars have done the same including Tesla Roadster, Shelby Cobra, etc. Yes, the car does currently come with a Lotus title. But that will change in the near future and the title will have Hennessey Venom GT on it. We greatly respect the work of other small volume manufacturers and how they have built their cars. We have chosen to go a slightly different route due to time and cost constraints. Thanks for asking.

PS - Matt Farah's TV show on DRIVE is called TUNED. Thus, Matt's last video put our car into the context of what his show covers - tuned cars. Anyone who has seen the Venom GT in person will tell you that that it is own bespoke vehicle and not a tuned car.

 

World's Fastest Production Car from 0 - 300 km/h: 13.63 sec.
On January 10, 2013 John Kiewicz drove the Hennessey Venom GT to a new Guinness WORLD RECORD for a two-seat production car from 0 - 300 km/h in 13.63 seconds (2-way average) at Ellington Airport in Houston, Texas, USA.

"This is just the first of several validation tests designed to show the world what our special car is all about - being the fastest, period," said John Hennessey. A chap named John Kiewicz drove the Venom along Ellington Airport's runway in Texas, the same runway used by NASA, no less. And after the record-breaking runs, the Guinness adjudicator on hand - Philip Roberston - was given a special hotride.

"I have never ridden in anything this fast," Philip noted. "The acceleration is absolutely amazing." Quite. The 13.63s time was an average of two runs made in opposite directions: the first took 13.18 seconds, while the second took 14.08 with a 6mph headwind.

That's not all - we're told the car also set an unofficial 0-200mph time as well, 14.51 seconds. To add some context, the Koenigsegg Agera R did the same sprint in 17.68 seconds, while the Bugatti Veyron ran 0-200mph in 22.2 seconds. Woah. [Quote: Top Gear]

 

Achievements | Hennessey Venom GT

 

All due respect, Mr. Hennessey, and I realize I am splitting hairs here, but what I (and I suspect many others) accept as a standard definition of "production car" would not include the Venom GT of today. I do agree that the performance is astonishing, the workmanship commendable and as you say very little Lotus remains in the car.

But if the first step in building any car, is to start by buying another car, then the result is not a newly produced product. Especially if the end product still carries the VIN of the original car.

The comparison of the Venom GT to the Tesla Roadster is an excellent idea, as both originated from the same chassis. The notable difference is that Tesla had to go through the lengthy and arduous process of certification, and all the crash tests and emissions testing that entails (even though the Roadster is electric, it still had to prove emissions compliance).

If I were to take a 2000 horespower engine and put it into a Colorado and call it the Almighty Beast and set a bunch of records, I can't call it the World's Fastest Production Pickup Truck. No matter if I build one or 1000 of them, or how nicely put together it is.

I'm sorry but until Hennessey is assigned a WMI by the SAE and the Venom GT passes muster in completed form for both the NHTSA and the EPA (or similar such governing bodies in whatever country you want to sell it in), and is identifiable as something other than a Lotus by its VIN, the Venom GT is a modified car just like any other Viper or Camaro you've worked on.

Therefore at this time any claims by the Venom GT to any "production car" records are fradulent.

 

Matt, we can agree to disagree on the definition of "production car". If anyone wants to do a wiki search for "street-legal" and "production car" they will find that our car meets their definition for both. Thanks.

 

Well certainly then if Wikipedia says so, it must be the case.

I'll bet the guys at UGR are slapping their foreheads about all of the production car records they could have had, if only they'd had the foresight to give their creations a clever name.

We disagree John, but I don't agree about that. For the record you claim to have any significance, there have to be consistently applied criteria. Otherwise any number if modified cars could have held those production car records in the past. You're not buying gliders from Lotus on agreement and building the car around that, you're taking an existing Lotus, and tearing it apart.

Why don't we just let Jon Olsson's Ultima into the fight? How about the few street-legal Radicals running around? Hell, if I was Porsche I'd get a 962 out of mothballs, slap a plate on it, and go claim the fastest lap for a production car at the Nurburgring.

 

Isn't it registered as a Lotus? If not then what wizardry did you do to pass the emissions and safety requirements?

 

Just wondering did you attempt the 0-300-0 record? I'd think being lighter and with similar brakes the Venom GT could take that record as well.