One-of-one Venom F5 LF is manual 'Maverick'
Feel the need for speed? More than 2,000hp and a new Hennessey commissioning division can help...
If you’re inclined to think that Hennessey needs a bespoke customer commission division like Toyota needs a dedicated department for mass production, then we’re with you. The Texas-based manufacturer, not renowned for turning out any model in great volume, must surely be on first name basis with the vast majority of its customers - particularly those who signed on the dotted line to take delivery of a Venom, Hennessey’s answer to what a V8-powered hypercar would look like if you got a load of good ‘ol boys to imagineer it from scratch.
But here we are. ‘Maverick’ (let’s gloss over that not making much sense) is the service that customers can now use if they’re hell-bent on building something ‘exceptional’. Likely sensing that the name alone would not be having people racing to the front door, Hennessey has announced it at Monterey Car Week with evidence of what is possible: the resulting 1-of-1 Venom F5 LF is said to be the ‘most expensive, complex and highest spec’ version of the hypercar it has ever produced.
Essentially, it’s a greatest hits compilation. It pairs the latest Evolution spec with the open-top F5 in track-ready ‘Revolution’ configuration, and has a design based on the existing Stealth Series cars. Even in the rarefied air of Pebble Beach, it ought to make a splash - not least because its River San Metallic paint is said to resemble the colour of ‘rich champagne’. Certainly the audience in California ought to know if that’s true or not.
Even if you couldn’t give a stuff about Hennessey’s efforts to tone the carbon fibre Coco Brown, there’s still plenty to appreciate about the Venom’s technical details. Let’s not forget that the car boasts the 6.6-litre twin-turbo ‘Fury’ V8, an engine that outputs more than 2,000hp in its latest iteration. And in the case of the LF, it has been twinned with what the manufacturer describes as an ‘all-new’ aluminium gated six-speed manual. Which ought to be fun.
The interior uses its analogue presence as a ‘guiding principle’, with a new centre console to show off the owner’s sage (or brave) choice of gear lever. Hennessey reckons every button and toggle has been re-engineered, and it is particularly proud of the luminous-infill switchgear that absorbs ambient light during the day, allowing it to softly glow at night. Even the hand brake lever has been machined to ‘deliver a bolt-action feel’.
“The LF demonstrates how far we’ll go to deliver an outstanding customer experience, and it’s the perfect launchpad for our new bespoke ‘Maverick’ division,” said Director of Design, Nathan Malinick. “It’s where engineering meets imagination, and where design fuses with passion – there can be no greater way to connect driver with the most raw, powerful, and intense celebration of internal combustion.” Who are we to argue with that ethos?
...also the colour should be light cognac?
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