Will the Hennessey Venom F5 Have Enough Horsepower?

Engineering Explained explores the obstacles for Hennessey’s newest hypercar in potentially hitting its proclaimed 301 mph top speed.

When Hennessey turned up a SEMA 2017 with the new Venom F5, they claimed a potential top speed of 300 miles per hour. With a small production run planned, that could give them, eventually, the production-car top speed record.

The internet has offered significant discussion about whether or not the F5 will ever really exist since the SEMA car was for demonstration only. We won’t tackle that here, yet, but we are interested in whether or not the company’s claims could result in a 300 mph test run.

Luckily, Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained is far smarter than us. He takes on the question, accounting for as much as he can to answer whether or not 1,600 horsepower from the proposed twin-turbo V8 will make enough power. Aerodynamic drag and tire friction make considerable hurdles for the drivetrain, so it’s a reasonable investigation to make.

Ultimately, if Hennessey builds the car as advertised, it probably will have enough power. However, the video points out several other related issues and unresolved questions about cooling and tire-heat issues.

Fenske admits in the comments section that he simplified some things like downforce-induced drag. Those things do add up, but it’s really a necessary omission. Aerodynamics tends to be a slippery subject (pun intended) for grasping all factors. In other words: Formula 1 teams spend years on aerodynamics because of these complexities. So the numbers have some wiggle room.

ALSO SEE: 6SpeedOnline Forum Members Sound Off on the Hennessey Venom F5

It all makes for an interesting thought experiment, but until Hennessey turns up to a runway with one, no one will really know for certain. And if the car does run 300 miles per hour, where does it fall in the “production” car classification? That word has come to mean something different to many people and most manufacturers are willing to push the definition of that word.