Hennessey Venom GT

[Ed Sims]

I could not see how Hennessey can ask $895,000 for a Lotus Exige with a Chevy V-8 engine. I just read the Feb 2011 Road & Track magazine article on it.

I could not make sense of this sentence from the article:

"I started wondering, okay, what's next?" says Hennessey, who mulled over slightly lighter, even more powerful versions of both the Viper & Ford GT, but rejected them on grounds of being too race-car minimalist.'

I would rather take the $895K to buy another Ford GT, a Ferrari F458 AND a Lambo Gallardo plus use all the left over money to buy my wife some diamonds!

Ed

PS I wonder if this is how people felt when Carroll Shelby took an AC & shoehorned in a Ford V-8 (another English car with an American engine). Do you think the Hennessey Venom will be like the Cobra?

 

[BlackICE]

PS I wonder if this is how people felt when Carroll Shelby took an AC & shoehorned in a Ford V-8 (another English car with an American engine). Do you think the Hennessey Venom will be like the Cobra?

It can happen if John H. builds a race team has as much success at Carol did, but I would stick the diamonds. Moot point these cars are never going to be CARB approved so you can't buy one.

 

[Ed Sims]

According to Hennessey they will be USA legal cars!

Ed

 

[BlackICE]

According to Hennessey they will be USA legal cars!

Ed

USA and CA/CARB legal complete different.

 

[fastzilla]

Hennessey is in Sealy, TX - NO EMISSIONS but legal to drive on the streets of the US.

For $900k I would buy an Enzo Ferrari.

 

[Hennessey Performance]

Ed, I respect the fact that everyone has an opinion. However, here are a few things you may want to consider about the Venom GT:

1. We sought to build the lightest, most powerful road car available today and did it. 2685 lbs and over 1000 rw hp on pump gas. The car has the ability to put all the power down in 2nd gear without the aid of traction control.

2. This is a very limited production vehicle and thus we are not able to amortize our development and tooling costs via a production run of hundreds or thousands of vehicles built. We will only build a total of 29 Venom GT's. That is it.

3. The only opinion that really matters to me is that of our buyers. So far there are 7 of them and I expect a few more after the new Road & Track is in full circulation. The reality is that there are thousands of people with the means to afford cars in the $1m price range. We feel that our car offers a level of performance and exclusivity that a select few will find appealing.

Ed, I hope you get a chance to see the Venom GT in person at some point. I think that you would find the build quality, engineering, use of materials are all in line with the the cost of the car. I am glad you enjoyed reading about the Venom GT in the latest issue of Road & Track. This article is just the beginning.

 

[nota4re]

John, hats off to you for what you have accomplished with this car. I would imagine that managing everything from inception to actually buiding and delivering the car has been one of the most challenging (and rewarding!) things you have ever done. You have my deep respect! I cant wait to see what is next! All the best to you, Don, and the great team at Hennessey for 2011 and beyond!!

 

[Ed Sims]

Thanks for the kind reply to my post John. I had sticker shock when I saw the price tag but it is, as you said, inline with the very limited production numbers. One thing I never did say was that I didn't like the car. It is crazy, wild & I would love to see it in action. I hope one of the forum members will buy one & bring it to a future Rally.

Best of luck,
Ed

PS Will it be California road legal?

 

[Mullet]

I have seen this car throughout the development and got a chance to sit in it and give it a good once over a few months ago. The fit and finish of this car is superb. All the little details have been thought out and the execution is spot on. This is a custom built car and that does not come cheap. Buy one of these and I guarantee another one will not show up at Coffee and Cars when you do in yours.

I applaud John for having a dream and making it happen, not everybody can say the same thing. All you business owners can relate to this.

I'm looking forward to driving one of these around a little because just looking at it and hearing it run isn't enough.

 

[HHGT]

It takes some serious business balls to embark on a project like this and I applaud the effort it took to build it. Minimal maintenance and fun factor will surpass the Veyron and many other exotics in every aspect, at least in my humble opinion. For the same $ I would personally buy an Enzo but that's just me. Congrats to all that saw this project come to life and Don I would love to get a ride in one someday.

 

[ChipBeck]

Moderators Note

Gentlemen,

I have just deleted several inappropriate comments from this thread. John Hennessey is a serious player in the performance car game and his track record of late speaks for itself. This car is in the exact same tradition as the Shelby Cobra that took one of the lightest weight British two seaters and put a powerful American V-8 in it. Back in 1963 I'm sure a few auto enthusiasts wondered why anybody would spend so much money for an AC Ace with a Ford V-8 in it. Why not buy a "real car" like a big block Corvette that surely will hold it's value better. Right. Those hybrid AC/Ford/Shelby Cobras set a new performance benchmark and today those lowly AC sports cars with American V-8s in them are some of the most valuable and sought after cars in the world. Perhaps the Enzo will be worth a lot more than one of the < 29 surviving Venom GTs two decades from now, but I wouldn't bet my life on that. Like that Cobra, the Venom GT sets a new standard in sports car performance today.

Finally, John is a long term and respected Ford GT Forum sponsoring vendor who hosted us at his shop during Rally IV. Your comments and opinions are welcome but cheap shots are not. Honestly, I have no desire for an Enzo, but if I could afford one, I'd love to order a brand new Venom GT in yellow to match my Ford GT. How cool would it have been to order a brand new Cobra in the color of your choice back in 1963? Like many of our members have already stated, my hat's off to you John. Cheers.

Chip

 

[skyrex]

It is great to have the vision to take a concept that is rolling around in your head and turn around and produce it. Congrats on the car. :thumbsup:thumbsup I would love to see one in action. :cheers

 

[Hennessey Performance]

Thanks for the many kind words. We will indeed spend the time and money to get a California (CARB) smog certification once we receive an order from a CA resident.

I would also like to recognize GT owner, friend, business partner and all-around good guy, Don Goldman (DGCA). The Venom GT is a reality today due to Don's efforts and talents. I will be the first to tell anyone that whatever idea I "dream up" at Hennessey Performance, Don is the guy who turns it into a reality while keeping the company running along at full speed.

We will do our best to bring one of our Venom GT's to the 2011 Rally. Have a great week everyone.

 

[ChipBeck]

John,

Will you have one at Barrett-Jackson? I look forward to seeing you there.

Chip

 

[Hennessey Performance]

John,

Will you have one at Barrett-Jackson? I look forward to seeing you there.

Chip

Hi Chip,

We will have a display next to Ford at Barrett-Jackson with a few of our cars in it. Sorry, no Venom GT to display. The car we had here in the USA recently is on its way back to its owner in the middle east. We will have a couple of American-owned Venom GT's over here next summer at Pebble Beach.

 

[Ed Sims]

John - why didn't you want to use a Ford engine in the Venom?

Ed

 

[DGCA]

Sam, I look forward to getting you in the next car that we have in the US!

 

[GTdrummer]

Further to Chip's post, I am an old Viper guy going back to 93 and I can imagine what some of the posts said that were deleted, but I can say based on recent personal experience I have had nothing but the best service from Hennessey. John's staff (I dealt with "JT") is first rate and I had parts for my GT in no time with quick email/phone support.

Also in 09 when I bought Viper VIN number 2 from former Chrysler President Bob Lutz , I emailed John about parts he had supplied in the early 90s to Bob. John overnighted documentation to me without charge. Terry

 

[Spirit's Son]

I witnessed the car at C&C here in Houston in December. I was amazed at the amount of detail that went into the car. It 'was' a Lotus and has what 'was' a Chevy engine, but that is where it ends.