A sports car is not a true sports car until it gets an open-top version, and that is what Hennessey did to its Venom GT supercar. Texas-based Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) has just released an open-top version, called the 2013 Venom GT Spyder.
There isn’t much room for the 1,200 horsepower Hennessey Venom GT to grow in power, so the Texas auto tuner has decided to improve the two-door the only way possible – by popping the top.
Based upon the Lotus Elise, the Venom GT combines a high-tech lightweight British chassis with a powerful American V-8. The Venom GT’s power plant is a 6.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 offering a Veyron Super Sport-equaling 1,200-hp. The mid-engine V-8 transmits power to the rear tires via a Ricardo six-speed gearbox. Because of the added weight from the removable roof, performance numbers should be a tad bit slower than the Coupe, which sprints from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and to 200 mph in 15.9 seconds, on its way up to a top speed of 275 mph.
Whether you want ballistic asphalt obliteration or a relaxed, open-air tour on a sunny day, the removable top on the Venom GT Spyder will allow you the luxury of both. With the hardtop in place, the Venom GT offers a very visceral, raw, driving experience, says company CEO, Don Goldman. With the hardtop removed, the wind and the growl of the twin turbo V8 will offer our clients an even greater driving sensation.
The new Hennessey Venom GT Spyder will be offered with a removable top and will only be produced in a limited run of five units, two of which have already been spoken for. Deliveries will begin in Summer 2012 and prices will start from $1.1 million, about $150,000 more than the Coupe’s top version. The car will be manufactured at Silverstone, England, with engines supplied by Hennessey’s Texas headquarters. Venom GT Spyder buyers will be offered a one-day driver orientation and instruction program by a Hennessey factory test driver at a track in the UK or USA prior to delivery.
The 1,200 HP will make the Venom GT Spyder the most powerful convertible in the world. Will it also be the fastest?
