World's Most Powerful Gas Car? Hennessey's 2,031-hp Venom F5 Evolution is Ready

Hennessey's latest hypercar explores the ragged edge of gas-powered engine technology.

For years, the Texas-based horsepower hunters at Hennessey have carved their own path, playing with the big dogs of high-performance automotive tuning and ruffling the feathers of renowned sports car manufacturers. The company's years of tuning know-how have allowed Hennessey to stamp its own high-horsepower identity onto high-performance vehicles like the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1-based Exorcist and its own line of hypercars.

Hennessey has already produced the Venom F5, a hypercar powered by a twin-turbo 6.6-liter “Fury” V8 capable of 1,817 horsepower. Such ludicrous levels of performance and top speed capabilities have the humble American tuner knocking on the doors of powerhouses like Bugatti and Koenigsegg. In the true nature of pure overachievers, producing a vehicle with over 1,800 horsepower and a targeted top speed of over 300 miles per hour is not enough, as Hennessey's latest vehicle claims yet another new, insane performance benchmark.

Meet the F5 Evolution: a 2,031 horsepower machine

As if a hypercar making over 1,800 horsepower was not too hot to handle, Hennessey has finalized testing its newest and most improved iteration, the Venom F5 Evolution, which raises the bar to levels that it claims no other big-name supercar or hypercar manufacturer has reached.

Created in collaboration between Hennessey and Ilmor Engineering, the new Venom F5 Evolution is claimed to be the world’s most powerful "100% internal combustion road car." Its enhanced “Fury” V8 engine boasts additional upgrades, including upgraded Precision 76/80 Next Gen turbochargers, Ilmor-designed billet pistons and extreme-duty connecting rods, high-flow fuel injectors, and other lightweight and titanium components.

Hennessey says that Ilmor's upgrades helped it extract 214 horsepower out of its Fury V8. In total, it produces a mind-boggling 2,031 horsepower at 8,000 RPM and 1,445 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 RPM on a specially mapped E85 tune. All this power gives it a heart-shattering acceleration from 0 to 200 miles per hour in just 10.3 seconds. 

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The Evolution comes as Hennessey produced nearly 30 Venom F5 hypercars for its clients, who demanded more power from the already-powerful cars they built them.

"During the past three years, we’ve delivered nearly 30 F5s to clients all around the world," Hennessey said. "Some of our owners requested even more power, which led us to develop the new Hennessey Venom F5 Evolution – the world’s most powerful internal combustion-powered hypercar."

The Hennessey F5 Evolution is more than just powerful

Though it may seem that the only "Evolution" in the F5 Evolution is in reference to its four-digit horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine, it isn't the only area Hennessey touched for improvements. The new F5 Evolution features enhanced, wind tunnel-tested aerodynamic features to keep its 2,000-plus horsepower on the ground. Formula 1 and Indycar aerodynamics engineer Dr. Mark Handford was tapped to rework the car, which now features a redesigned front splitter, a completely redesigned underbody, and a new Gurney lip on its rear deck spoiler that enhances stability under acceleration and braking.

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The F5 Evolution also features a new adaptive suspension that enables the driver to adjust the car's suspension tuning through the F5’s five power modes on the steering-wheel-mounted toggle: Sport, Road Race, Drag, Wet, and F5 Mode, which unleashes the full 2,031 horsepower. Hennessey says these modes help the driver alter the F5 Evolution's suspension for situations ranging from track driving to simple, comfortable cruising, as each mode adjusts the car's ride, handling, roll, pitch, and steering responsiveness. It says that on roads, the suspension can help drivers push the car on uneven surfaces while absorbing bumps and increasing grip and turn-in precision out on the track.

On the suggestion of current F5 owners, Hennessey also revised the interior of the F5 Evolution to make extended journeys and road trips more comfortable and practical through extra “Touring” options. These include leather-appointed "Touring Carbon Seats" with additional bolstering and carbon fiber cupholders. Hennessey will offer the Evolution features as a package for new F5 orders and as an additional package of upgrades for existing Venom F5 Coupe, Roadster, and Revolution owners at a base cost of $285,000. The optional Touring upgrades are available at an additional cost.

Final thoughts

It is incredible to think that Hennessey, the tuner known for exploring the limits of Mustangs, Camaros, Blackwings, and even Ford F-150 Raptors, has evolved to the point where they are not only knocking on the doors of hypercar giants like Rimac, Bugatti, and Koenigsegg, but also disrupting the old guard with something far more powerful. The F5 Evolution is truly a testament to pure gas-powered power in an age when electrification and efficiency are the buzzwords for most automakers amid tightening emissions regulations and so-called "EV mandates." We may never see something making this much power ever again, or if we do, there's a good chance it'll be some sort of hybrid, or even a full-blown EV.