World’s Fastest Convertible: Hennessey Venom GT Spyder Hits 265.6 MPH
By Paulo Acoba
Hennessey Performance just broke the convertible speed world record by running 265.6 MPH
It’s been a little over two years since Hennessey Performance took their Venom GT to just beyond 270 MPH but this time they’ve really outdone themselves. According to Hennessey Performance earlier today, they’ve hit a staggering 265.5 MPH without a roof!
"The open-top, 1,451bhp GT Spyder was unleashed along the US Navy’s 2.9-mile long runway in Lemoore, California, where driver Brian Smith (director of Ford Performance’s Racing School) managed to hit a top speed 11mph higher than the current convertible record holder, the 254mph Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse."
Earlier in the week they teased their World Record run with a little video of the fastest iteration of their Venom GT. We’ve posted that video along with the world record setting video below.
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We got a glimpse of what they were up to on Instagram when filmmaker Kevin Ward posted up a couple of photos of one fast Porsche Cayenne camera car and one of one Buggati Veyron aptly dubbed the “HellBug.” You may remember last year when we did a piece on this Bugatti Veyron Vitesse which hit 235.7 MPH on Arizona roads.
When the Hennessey Venom GT did its record-setting run two years ago, they head a little over 1,500 more feet of runway as they were utilizing NASA’s shuttle landing facility on Cape Canaveral. Instead of going through NASA, Hennessey opted to go with the other boys in blue and used one of three operational Master Jet Bases in America and their runway at Lemoore Naval Air Station in California.
With less runway space, they did have more power. Two years ago the Venom GT produced around 1,244 HP and 1,155 lb-ft of torque. But when a new Venom GT was unveiled at SEMA last year, this hypercar was now bristling with 1,451 HP. 0-60 MPH was at a claimed 2.4 seconds and the quarter mile came and went in a theoretical 9.4 seconds. Top speed? Back then they claimed a little over 280 MPH. Today we now know that if given a little bit more runway, they could’ve hit a faster top speed.
While this convertible top speed run might not be as impressive as breaking their old 270.49 MPH closed coupe run, it is impressive as far as aerodynamics go. With an open cockpit there is more turbulence and rough air and wind resistance entering hitting the Venom GT Spyder’s surface. Thus, high-speed stability with an open roof was confirmed.
More cars: This Bugatti Veyron Hit 235.7 MPH On U.S. Roads And Got Away With It
Congratulations Hennessey Performance on 25 years of making cars go faster. And if you didn’t already know, the successor to the Venom GT is their F5 which they plan to break 290 MPH in. You’re officially on call Koenigsegg and Bugatti.Let’s see what you can do to beat this American hypercar.