Hennessey Special Vehicles recently made headlines with a record-setting performance by its Venom F5 hypercar, achieving a top speed of 221.92 mph in just 2,640 feet at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Texas-based automaker has now announced a new development that’s causing quite a stir: a limited edition of the Venom F5 featuring a six-speed manual transmission.
Dubbed the Venom F5-M Roadster, this new model is touted as “the world’s most powerful manual transmission car.” Hennessey plans to produce only 12 of these exclusive vehicles, all of which will be built in a convertible format. The Venom F5-M will retain the same impressive 1,817 horsepower, twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter “Fury” engine as the original Venom F5. The open-top design aims to enhance the driving experience, allowing enthusiasts to fully appreciate the engine’s roar as they shift through the gears themselves.
John Hennessey, the founder and CEO of the boutique auto manufacturer, explained the motivation behind this new variant: “We always wanted to build a manual Venom F5—and it’s something our clients have been asking for. It’s old school, it’s badass, and it offers ultimate driving engagement,” he said in a recent press release.
This announcement brings to mind the Venom GT Roadster, a previous Hennessey model based on a Lotus chassis and equipped with a manual transmission. The Venom GT Roadster set a record in 2016 with a top speed of 265.6 mph. In contrast, the Venom F5 represents a completely original design, built from the ground up by Hennessey.
“The Venom F5 is the only project we’ve ever undertaken that started from a completely clean slate,” Hennessey shared with Robb Report in 2020 when the production version of the coupe was first revealed. “We took all the knowledge and experience we’ve accumulated over 29 years and integrated the best of it into this new car.” Over the following years, Hennessey’s team developed the open-top version of the Venom F5, as well as the track-focused Venom F5 Revolution.
For the F5-M Roadster, the company decided to use a gated shifter rather than the traditional boot found in the GT. This conversion required not only a remap of the engine’s output but also a redesign of the center console, which now features relocated climate controls and window switches positioned lower in the cockpit.
Externally, each F5-M will be easily distinguishable by a striking 55-inch dorsal fin extending from the rear of the roof’s intake scoop. The car’s unique design is further highlighted by exposed carbon fiber and a distinctive livery. Hennessey’s approach follows the introduction of the Pagani Utopia, another hypercar that offers a manual transmission as an option, though with a significantly lower output of 851 horsepower compared to the Venom F5-M’s 1,817 horsepower.
Each of the 12 F5-M units comes with the option for a custom exterior color, which Hennessey removes from its online configurator once chosen. Despite the public reveal, Hennessey has confirmed that all 12 units have already been sold, each starting at a price of $2.65 million.
These 12 F5-M Roadsters will contribute to the total production cap of 30 units for the F5 Roadster series. Hennessey is still accepting applications for the remaining allocations of other F5 variants, but there is no current information on whether any of these will feature a manual transmission.
Overall, the introduction of the Venom F5-M Roadster represents a blend of tradition and cutting-edge technology, celebrating the pure driving experience with a powerful manual transmission while offering an exclusive and limited-edition package for discerning collectors and enthusiasts.
