Watch Texas super-car roar to 186 mph, shatter acceleration record
Texas auto tuner Hennessey Performance Engineering took its turbocharged Venom GT supercar to an 8,000-foot-long runway to shatter a Guinness world record.
Hennessey’s street-legal Venom GT accelerated from zero to 186 mph in just 13.63 seconds, establishing the vehicle as the new record holder for fastest acceleration by a production car. The acceleration time was an average of two runs made in opposite directions within one hour. (Guinness only recognizes runs made in kilometers per hour, so the record officially is fastest 0 to 300 km/h acceleration.)
PHOTOS: Hennessey Venom GT’s record run
Powered by a 7.0-liter V-8 engine boosted by twin turbochargers, the first run was completed with a 4 mph tailwind that pushed it to a 13.18-second finish. The second run was made through a 6 mph headwind, which resulted in a 14.08-second finish. The previous record was 14.53 seconds, held by the Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg and its Agera R car.
(It’s still a ways off from an F/A-18 fighter jet being catapulted from zero to 165 mph in two seconds off an aircraft carrier, but it’s getting there.)
The record-breaking feat took place Jan. 10 at Ellington Airport southeast of Houston with a Guinness representative on hand to witness the feat. Watch it in the video below.
But the Venom GT also set an unofficial acceleration record of zero to 200 mph in 14.51 seconds. The previous record was held by the Agera R as well, which hit the mark in 17.68 seconds.
If you’re thinking about picking up a Venom GT, it costs $1.2 million plus shipping. The cars are built to order and take six months to complete.
Hennessey plans to build a total of 29 Venom GTs -- one-third of which have already been built.
Hennessey has been in business in Texas since 1991. Last year, the company expanded its business to Southern California when it added a new facility in Lake Forest.
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