Hennessey Venom F5-M Roadster is the world’s most powerful manual car

The Hennessey Venom F5-M Roadster has been revealed as the most powerful production car ever fitted with a manual gearbox. Based on the semi-automatic Venom F5, just 12 cars will be built, and each one has already been sold at a cost of $2.65million (around £2.03m).

Texan hypercar builder Hennessey says the “core purpose” of the Venom F5-M is to “amplify the sensation of driving”. Each one gets the standard Roadster’s open-cockpit design, but is marked out by the 55-inch (1,400mm) dorsal fin that stretches from the roof-mounted air scoop right to the trailing edge of the rear deck.

John Hennessey, company founder and CEO said: “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.”

Nathan Malinick, Hennessey design director said: “This is a car for bold and brave driving enthusiasts who like their hypercars to thrill with wild power, dramatic design, and an experience behind the wheel that is incomparable to anything else on Earth.”

Inside, the F5-M Roadster gets a sawn-off, Formula One-style steering wheel that’s fitted with a plethora of buttons controlling many of the car’s functions. On the centre console sits the all-important (carbon-fibre) gearlever, which Hennessey says is “physically connected” to the gearbox, without any electronic interference. The open-gated six-speed manual sends 1,817bhp straight to the rear wheels.

Performance figures haven’t been revealed, but the F5-M Roadster stands on the shoulders of the world’s fastest-ever convertible road car – the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder. That model, which boasted a relatively restrained 1,451bhp, holds the world record top speed for an open-top car. The 265.6mph maximum was set in 2016. 

Part of a 30-unit total build run of Roadster models, every 12 F5-M model will be unique. Each owner will pick their chosen paint colour before it is deleted from the configurator – ensuring what Hennessey claims is “total exclusivity”.

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