Hennessey's 1,600-hp Venom F5 hits 300 mph

This could be the Chiron\'s worst nightmare.

American tuner Hennessey traveled to the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada, to unleash the Bugatti Chiron's worst nightmare. Named after tornado-speed winds, the Venom F5 is a limited-edition hypercar capable of running alongside the world's fastest, most expensive performance machines.

Unlike the Venom GT, which used Lotus Exige bones, the F5 was developed in-house from the ground up. Hennessey explained its goal was to build "the absolute fastest road car on earth." It has succeeded -- at least on paper.

The Venom F5 rides on a carbon fiber chassis, and its body relies on active aerodynamic add-ons to register a 0.33 drag coefficient. That's hardly ground-breaking; other 0.33 cars include the 1992 Ford Crown Victoria, the original BMW M3, and the current-generation Dodge Durango. None of those have 1,600 horsepower, though.

Hennessey designed an all-aluminum, 7.4-liter V8 and fitted it with a pair of huge turbochargers. It sends its output to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission.

Forget about zero to 60. The Venom F5 sprints from zero to 186 mph in under ten seconds, making it quicker than a Formula 1 car, and it goes on to 300 mph if it's given enough tarmac. Michelin Pilot Sport tires help make that possible, though Hennessey hasn't released footage of the car hitting the 300-mph barrier.

Venom F5 production is limited to just 24 examples. Pricing starts at $1.6 million, which makes it a real bargain compared to its French rival. Bugatti charges about $3 million for the Chiron.