Aftermarket tuning is an important and thriving part of car culture. Most people get into it as a hobby, where they order parts online and tinker with their weekend DIY projects. But some professionals like Hennessey Performance Engineering take this practice a bit too seriously. They started with light mods on cars like the Dodge Viper and have evolved into an outfit that turns performance vehicles into ridiculous beasts. And they have a knack for choosing appropriate names for their craziest creations.
Hennessey’s latest creation is the Venom 1200 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. It joins an enviable lineup of hot-blooded and heavily modified versions of vehicles from Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and other major automakers. It’s one of the most powerful Mustangs ever built by Hennessey, and the outfit just confirmed the car’s production. Here’s what we learned about the Venom 1200 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
10/10 Venom 1200 Improves Most Powerful Production Mustang
The current Shelby GT500 rolls off the Ford Performance assembly line with a supercharged, hand-built 5.2-liter V8 producing 760 ponies and 625 lb-ft of torque. It is by far the most powerful production Mustang ever built.
So what do you do if you are Hennessey Performance? You take what is already the best and make it better. After working on so many Mustangs over their 30-year history, it was only fitting that they would work on the crown jewel of the iconic muscle car.
9/10 The Venom 1200 Shelby GT500 makes over 1200 HP
At 760hp, the standard GT500 is already beefed up with exotic supercars. Hennessey’s goal is to make fast cars faster, and by the time the Venom 1200 leaves its factory, it’s unleashing a world-record 1204 hp and 902 lb-ft of torque.
That’s a 58% gain over stock engine horsepower, elevating the Venom 1200 into the category of the most powerful cars in the world. If that sounds too daunting, Hennessey offers a less stingy Venom 1000 with a modest 1000 hp.
8/10 Notable Venom 1200 Shelby GT500 Powertrain Upgrades
Hennessey engineers did a magical job of coaxing 400 more ponies from the stock Shelby GT500 engine. But it takes more than voodoo and involves a wide range of comprehensive improvements to the factory configuration. Notable upgrades include a larger capacity 3.8 liter supercharger, high flow induction system, air-oil separation system and new fuel rails and injectors.
The transmission receives fittings, lines, belts, tensioners and a dual-clutch transmission upgrade to withstand higher outputs. And the cars are calibrated on the in-house dyno before heading out for test drives.
7/10 The Venom 1200 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Is Relatively Affordable
The stock Shelby Gt500 is already a bargain with a starting MSRP of $79,420. European cars, with their level of performance, command prices in excess of two hundred thousand dollars. Now, the Hennessey Venom 1200 opens up new levels of performance and remains relatively affordable.
Hennessey slapped a starting price of $59,950 for Venom 1200 upgrades, excluding the base Ford Shelby GT500. That means you can drive this 1200hp beast for around $140,000, which is relatively affordable compared to modern 1000+hp hypercars that cost seven figures.
6/10 Venom 1200 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Gets Unique Exterior Badge
Only a handful of vehicles offer the level of performance derived from the Venom 1200, so it has to stand out in every way, and Hennessey offers the Venom 1200 with a unique, model-specific exterior badging.
Additionally, it receives a special serial numbered plaque, which will help differentiate it from the standard Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
5/10 There will only be 66 copies of Venom 1200 Shelby GT500
We recently saw Shelby America announce the twin-turbocharged 1,300hp Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Code Red with an extremely low number of just 30 examples. The fewer they are, the more attractive and desirable they become.
Hennessey understands this, and they plan to build just 66 examples of the Venom 1200. Plus, it takes a lot of time and effort to finish each car, and Hennessey Performance is just a small team compared to the production juggernauts. mass like Ford.
4/10 Legacy 1966 24 Hours of Daytona Livery
The Ford GT40 MK II is one of the most important cars in Ford’s motor racing history. Part of his exploits included ending Ferrari’s dominance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and winning the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966.
Hennessey offers the Venom 1200 with the iconic red, white and black livery to pay homage to the GT40 MK II. It is an optional upgrade priced at $4,950 and is featured in the press images released by the outfit.
3/10 The Venom 1200 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 comes with a one-year warranty
Hennessey puts the Venom 1200 through rigorous testing to make sure everything works perfectly. Still, owners of such a powerful car will push it to its limits, and something could easily break. The Texas-based outfit offers customers a full one-year or 12,000-mile warranty.
If you want more support, you can opt for the smaller brother Venom 1000 with a three-year or 36,000-mile warranty.
2/10 Joins a growing line of ultra-high performance Hennessey vehicles
Hennessey started with light mods from John Hennessey’s garage and grew into a serious team that has re-engineered over 12,000 vehicles for performance enthusiasts. Their current catalog ranges from their in-house developed Venom F5 Roadster to modified Corvettes, Challengers, Ford Trucks and Ram Trucks.
All of these vehicles produce gigantic performance, so the Venom 1200 is in good company.
1/10 The Venom 1200 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is available for shipment
The SEMA 2022 event begins in a few days, the first week of November. You can confidently bet your money that Hennessey will show off this beast in one of the booths at the show.
In its press release, Hennessey announced that the car is ready for international shipment through authorized Ford dealerships and directly from Hennessey.
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