News - Hennessey - Venom GTHennessey Venom GT cracks 435km/hGiant-slaying Hennessey Venom GT beats out Bugatti and “could go faster”GalleryClick to see larger images 25 Feb 2014 BOUTIQUE American car-modifier Hennessey has taken the coveted series production car top-speed record with its Lotus Exige-based Venom GT, posting a V-max of 435km/h at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The new record surpasses the 431km/h achieved by the extreme Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. The two rivals are a study in contrasts: while the Veyron was developed at huge cost as a show-piece for parent company Volkswagen, the Venom was created by a small team in Texas. Hennessey’s record pace only just pips the Veyron, but driver – and professional racer – Brian Smith said the 928kW, 7.0-litre V8 turbo-powered Venom “was still pulling” as it neared the end of the space-shuttle landing strip. Independent time-keeping equipment manufacturer Racelogic was on-hand to record the top-speed attempt, and its GPS system indicated that the record-breaking car was still accelerating when the five kilometre runway ran out. “If we could run on an eight-mile oval we could go faster than that,” said Mr Smith. British car-maker Lotus provides the basis for the record-breaking car, which will reach 300km/h in just over 13 seconds – the same time it takes a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG to get to 200km/h. To date only 15 of the flagship vehicles have been completed and only 29 will be produced - each one taking six months and costing anywhere between $660,000 and $1.2mThe duel between Hennessey and Bugatti has been raging for some time. When the American maker first threatened the ‘standard’ 750kW Veyron, the VW Group clearly took notice: it was only a matter of months before the new 882kW Super Sport variant rolled out to retain its title. The new record-holder will need to look over its proverbial shoulder at Swedish boutique car-maker Koenigsegg, which is poised to reveal the 1000kW One:1 (a name that refers to its 1:1 horsepower to kg rating) as early as the Geneva motor show in March. Read more11th of February 2014 Koenigsegg One:1 loomsMonstrous Swedish supercar to pack a mind-blowing 1000kW of power16th of April 2013 Bugatti Veyron back on topGuinness backflip reinstates Bugatti Veyron Super Sport as world’s fastest car12th of April 2013 Bugatti Veyron smashes roadster world recordStripped of one world record, Bugatti claims another with Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse |
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