Who said manuals are from a bygone era? Granted, they’ve been phased out of mass-market cars but the visceral experience they provide is far from out of date in the supercar and hypercar world. Pagani and Koenigsegg have brought the tactile transmission back and now the Americans are in on the act. The Hennessey Venom F5-M Roadster brings takes mental manuals to a new level.
A Bespoke New Look
There’s one very noticeable difference that distinguishes the manual Hennessey. The 55-inch dorsal fin runs from the roof-mounted air scoop to the rear deck. There’s also a bespoke livery, designed to emphasise the features of the Venom F5-M. At the front, there’s exposed carbon fibre with a pinstripe and an accent stripe that runs up to the windscreen and down along the dorsal fin.
Customers will be able to choose one-off colours that will be deleted from the Hennessey configurator after they are selected. They will also be able to choose special carbon fibre treatments, turning the exclusivity factor up to eleven.
A Manual Masterpiece Inside
The cockpit is akin to that of a fighter jet – with the yoke steering wheel and aviation-inspired toggle switches. The central section of the dashboard is redesigned with new air vents above a spot for the key.
The star of the show is undoubtedly the aluminium and carbon fibre gear stick. Positioned close to the driver, it takes pride of place above the air conditioning controller. Carbon fibre features throughout, emphasising the insane performance of the Hennessey Venom F5-M Roadster.
Something for all the Senses
Hennessey hasn’t skimped on power, offering the full 1,817bhp from the Fury V8. Paired with the six-speed gated manual transmission, founder and CEO, John Hennessey, calls it ‘the most intense, immersive, and extreme driving experience on the planet’. All 1,817 American horses are sent to the rear wheels and ‘devastating acceleration’ is claimed.
Want one? Unfortunately, all twelve examples have been sold at a minimum price of $2.65 million (nearly £2.03 million at the time of writing).
