The Hennessey Venom GT is the latest hypercar to shoot for the record books, beginning its road to high speed victory. This week the stunning Venom GT took its first World record, the acceleration World Record, eating up the 0-300kph (186mph) record.

Guinness was on hand to work the stopwatch and check the numbers, mind blowing numbers at that. The official world record time for 0 to 300kph (186 mph) is now 13.63 seconds thanks to Hennessey and his Venom GT.  As a little bonus the Venom GT also snagged a second unofficial record for the fastest time to 200 mph at 14.51 seconds.

The coupe version of the Venom GT was originally released in March 2010, the Spyder variant can now be yours for a cool $1.1 million. The Spyder itself was the brainchild of Steven Tylor, the lead singer of Aerosmith. While ordering his coupe he asked the salesman if it came as a convertible. The salesman sheepishly replied ‘It can do, is that something you would buy?” From one simple question the Spyder was born.

With the Spyder’s roof removed the world of high speed open top driving is yours. With the wind in his hair Steve Tyler took delivery of the first Spyder recently. Grinning ear to ear, as he does, he accepted the keys. He was later seen departing still smiling, quickly disappearing into the distance.

The sumptuous curvy outline of the GT and the Spyder bare more than a passing resemblance to a Lotus design for a very good reason; the Venom GT is based on the Lotus Exige chassis, another famous US UK collaboration. Although once the transformation is complete there isn’t much Exige left. A liberal dose of carbon fibre replaces many old panels and parts, keeping the weight down.

At 1,200 kg (2,700 lb) the Venom is far lighter than its nearest rival the Veyron, while the new panels also give the Venom GT a major aerodynamics overhaul, including the active aero rear wing.

The engine is sourced from the outstanding Corvette Z06, once given the Hennessey treatment you end up with a twin turbo-charged 7 litre V8 that can deliver a spine busting 1,244 bhp (928kW) of power and 852 foot pounds of torque. The mid mounted V8 is mated to a Ricardo plc six speed transmission, one of the few available that can easily handle over 1,000 bhp. Power output can be controlled via a dial on the dash with three settings available; 800, 1000 and 1244bhp.

Stopping power is provided by the 380mm (15 inch) ceramic brake rotors provided by Surface Transfor. Brembo 6-piston callipers up front and 4 calliper rears complete the brake system.

Winning World Records isn’t the end of the story for Hennessey either; the Venom GT2 is already in the works. The next variant will boost power to over 1,500bhp and it may just reset the record books for a very long time. Can Bugatti answer Hennessey’s challenge?

John Hennessey and his team are now hunting for a flat piece of 4 mile tarmac to go for the high speed record which is currently held by the Veyron SS at 431 kph (268mph).  Hennessey believes the Venom GT is capable of achieving over 435kph (270mph). Can it muster enough fast to take the record?

Prices for the Venom GT start at $600,000 USD, the 1200bhp model starts at $1,000,000 but can be optioned well past $2,000,000. The Venom GT Spyder is a little heavier and slightly more powerful, allowing it to match the GT coupe’s power to weight ratio, while managing to dent the bank account even more. Prices for the Spyder start at $1.15 million, a $150,000 price premium for the removable roof.

Hennessey Venom GT: The World’s Fastest Tuned Car

On a runway in Houston Texas this week driver John Kiewicz really did put the pedal to the metal, in the process proving the Venom is the world’s fastest accelerating hypercar. With dream car looks and hypercar numbers the Venom GT is destined for a lucky few garages and many many dreams.

Reference: Hennessey Performance